All I Waste Today Is You
by ShortStoriesWithTragicEndings
Summary: A battle has taken place and the group has failed, people have died, the group is split up. Tk is left by what he thinks is himself. It is now up to him to find what is left of the group. Can he save the world while trying to save his loved ones? 12 up!
1. Near Fantasia

Tk looked back at what he was leaving, promising himself that he wouldn't feel guilty later. That he would never look back in regret at what he was doing. So he continued on limping toward his newly discovered destination.  
"One foot in front of the other" he told himself as he looked back down at his feet. ". . . And one foot back to count it" he finished stopping where he was. He stopped because if he took another step he know that he would lose himself and never be able to recover. He was experiencing too much for some one of his age.  
"If every one's a casualty" he said dropping to his knees, "then there's always drinks and dancing in the rubble". He fell over unto his side and curled into a fetal position and let himself cry. He let himself cry for every one who had died just now, for his friends that he would have to find, he cried because he broke his own promise a third time: he had let Patamon get killed.  
He wasn't sobbing, he hadn't let himself do anything like that since he was tired of being made fun of. Since he was tired of the name calling. He just let himself drain his emotions as he did as a God given right as a person of his age.  
"I didn't want any of this to happen, I tried my best" he said starting to cut himself off from his cry session. If he was going to get any where in this crazy world of digitized information in the forms of free thought-to-free form intelligence, than he needed to harden his heart.  
"What's done is done and I am left to suffer the consequences" he said laying flat on his back. He took in a deep breathe and let it out. It would be a long time till he cried again.  
For a second he stopped thinking about the bodies in the burning city behind him and thought about how much his body hurt. He had hurt his left leg, may have broken a his wrist, and had a deep cut on his chest spanning from his belly button to his rib cage that still bled lightly though was clotting. He hadn't eaten anything in about a week or so, he had lost a considerable amount of weight from his already thin frame.  
Tk thought of a song he had heard on the radio once. The end of the song had a line that he considered most appropriate right now for the situation he was in.  
"I'm just a boat on the Ocean, I'm just a ship lost at sea" he sung lightly trying to take his mind off of the battle that just occurred. He had a good singing voice, yet only one person had ever heard him sing: Kari.  
  
"Tk was that you?" Kari had asked when she opened the door to his room. He had never heard her knock, nor had she heard her let herself in.  
"Uh, yeah" he said embarrassed of being caught. "It was really good" she said. He loved her more and more each day. "Thanks" he replied smiling but still blushing slightly.  
  
"Oh God, Kari" he said sitting up. "Oh God what have I done?" he asked to the sky sitting on his knees. He found that the sudden flood of recent memories and sudden movement made him sick. He tried to get up but fell to his hands and knees and threw up bile, for there was no food in his stomach.  
"I know we didn't do how we all expected, but there's no use in getting sick over it" a voice said. After Tk calmed himself, he wiped his mouth and looked up.  
"I thought you left, Davis?" he asked at the boy standing in front of him.  
Davis was in better condition than Tk was because Tk tried to fight himself instead of leaving it up to their respective partners. Davis wasn't as sickly thin as Tk was because he hadn't given up any of his meals for the better of the group. Davis did however have a large gash above his right eye that had bled down to his chin, his clothes were in tatters and had cuts and scrapes all over.  
"Looks like skipping all those meals to feed the rest of the team better finally got to you" Davis said bending down and gripping Tk's midsection with only his hands while his fingers just barley met in front. "So what?" Tk asked trying to throw Davis off of him but failing as his energy escaped him.  
"Nice try skinny, but better luck next . . ." Tk never heard what he said next because he passed out. "Time" Davis finished after he realized that Tk had passed out.  
"Gees, he really did give everything he had for the team" Davis said feeling Tk's pals to make sure that he was ok.  
"You found Tk?" said Veemon emerging from the tall grass to the right of the mountainous slope that Davis and the unconscious Tk were. "Yeah, but he's given everything that he has to give" Davis said picking up Tk's frail body with ease placing him gently over his shoulder.  
"Do you want me to carry him?" Veemon asked Davis as they continued on. "No, first of all your too short, and second of all he isn't heavy" Davis pointed out.  
"Can you believe that any of this happened?" Veemon asked quietly almost as if afraid of being heard. Davis stopped and turned around to stare at the burning city as the sun started its decent below the earth. So the sky was lit up with colors and flames making it destructively beautiful.  
"No, I can't" Davis said turning back around toward the opposite direction: the east.  
  
"Davis can we rest yet?" Veemon tried as he continued walking away from the city that too eerily resembled Tokyo. "No" Davis said determined but soft, "we've only walked about three miles. I can still see the smoke from the city."  
"I'm so tired though, don't think I can walk much further" Veemon said seriously. "Fine" Davis muttered stopping in his tracks. He set Tk down and took off his jacket and placed it under Tk's head.  
He thought back to a time when he wouldn't have thought twice about leaving Tk where he was or even a time when he would have taken him with him but wouldn't have been so much of a leader. He had matured since then. Then again with what had happened in the past few days, who wouldn't?  
Davis looked down at Tk wondering if he'd make it, he certainly didn't look healthy. 'Then again I can't just sit here and do nothing about the situation' he thought. Davis then went and found some twigs, branches, and dead leafs and made a fire pit which Veemon then lit.  
"Stay here Veemon, I'm going to go look for some water" Davis said walking toward the tall grass which led to a forest. It took him about fifteen minutes until he found a tree which had what looked like apples on its branches. He picked a few and carried them back the way he had come.  
By now the sun had set and it was full on night now. No more light to make sure that nothing would sneak up on them. Davis didn't bother to worry about that now. If death came in the night, then let it come, he thought. For he felt that they should have properly died in the city back there.  
"Looks like I found dinner" he said when he came back to the camp. "Yum, Duardinums, my favorite!" Veemon exclaimed grabbing the one that Davis offered him. Davis took a bit out of one and found that it was rather good tasting. "It tastes like a peach" he commented.  
Just then he looked over at Tk with his blood stained and completely ripped apart shirt. Davis walked over to him and kneeled down.  
"Hey Tk man, wake up" he said shaking him lightly. A few moments later Tk awoke looking very tired and weak. "I found us some dinner" he said showing him the Duardinums. Davis handed him one and Tk did his best to sit up. He grabbed the fruit like object and took small bites out of it doing his best to chew and swallow.  
Davis walked away and ate his dinner on the other side of the fire with Veemon. A few minutes after about a fifth of the fruit had been eaten Tk laid back down and fell back into unconsciousness. Davis sighed and walked back over and placed the fruit close to the fire and began the delicate task of taking off Tk's shirt.  
After it was off all the way, Davis tore it into one long strip which he used to wrap around the wound on Tk's Stomach. The whole time Davis handled him carefully noticing the ribs that had become visible on his sides and chest because of weight loss.  
After he was finished he put his jacket on Tk so he could be warm and motioned for Veemon to come sit on the other side.  
When Veemon had come to the other side, Davis found he was no longer hunger. A few moments ago he had been deathly hungry, but now he seemed fine.  
It was becoming late so Davis told Veemon "Right now we need to rest and save our strength for tomorrow" he said laying down about two feet away from his unconscious friend. "You better make it through the night Tk, you bastard, you better make it". 


	2. Bright End of Nowhere 2 part interventio...

Part 1: "I killed the king of deceit".  
  
The sun started its beginning climb and Davis lay awake wondering when he should try to wake Tk. "Veemon? Are you awake yet?" Davis whispered. "Yeah" Veemon whispered back.  
Davis sat up and looked over at his friend examining him. He looked horrible. So sick, so hurt, so thin, so tired. Davis stood up and stretched and yawned. He than rubbed the sleep from his eye's and noticed Veemon doing the same.  
Walking over to his Tk, Davis kneeled down and shook him lightly trying once again to wake his sleeping friend. "Tk, you better be alive or I'll kill you" he whispered to himself not caring if what he said made sense. Tk did not stir however, his eye's had dark circles around them and his skin was pale as white sand on an ocean beach.  
Davis felt for a pulse but could find none. He searched for any signs of life not believing that Tk could have really have died.  
"So that's it then? That's how it ends? This is what I get?" Davis said these things his voice cracking and raising to a yell as he progressed. For a guy that he had hated for the majority of the time he knew him, Davis was rather broken up. It wasn't even necessarily that Tk was dead, but that he blamed himself for being a bad leader.  
"Fuck" Davis whispered kneeling down and wrapping his arms around his legs. "Davis?" Veemon asked; but Veemon knew that whatever response it was that he hoped to get from Davis he was not going to get.  
After a few minutes of Davis eye's being moist with tears that threatened to fall, he overcame whatever emotion he felt and picked Tk up and started walking back toward the forest that lay beyond the tall grass.  
"Davis? Where are you going?" Veemon asked about ten minutes into the forest. Davis didn't give much of a response but kept his march slow and steady. Veemon didn't bother asking again.  
Eventually the sounds of a river could be heard. It was a fast moving river, but you could tell by sound that it wasn't wild.  
After a short while they came upon the banks of the river known as the Rhine; Davis remembered from the briefing that they had received. Davis removed the jacket that he had let Tk wear and proceeded.  
"Well, the world as we know it may be doomed, I guess your lucky though. You don't have to fulfill any of that prophesy crap like you were supposed to. Just be happy that you can die in your sleep while every one else won't be so lucky" Davis said as he waded his way till he was waste deep in the river holding Tk above the water.  
"Don't be afraid" Davis said as he lowered Tk into the water, and the water overtook him and carried him away down stream. Davis watched his body float away, it drifted farther and farther until he could no longer see it.  
Davis made his way back onto the shore and sat down and cried, cried for Tk, for Kari, for what was to take place now that Tk was dead.  
  
Part 2: "Wake me up in anarchy".  
  
Dwarelimon shifted into the form of her choice, a mermaid. She swam around and around against the current of the Rhine looking for the human. Her master had always told her that she had but one crucial part that fate had written for her and that if she didn't play her part well, then all would be undone. Right now she was hoping not to play her part bad.  
She had been waiting for the human for about fifteen minutes now and still she could find nothing. All could simply be lost because of her inability to find that one human.  
No, she would succeed because she could see him floating in the center of the river. He had blonde hair, a wound on his stomach, and thin. She had expected him to be big and muscular, maybe black hair, but as long as he was going to save everything from almost certain destruction she didn't mind.  
He floated down far enough that she reached out and grabbed his lifeless body and pulled him up from the water.  
She chose the form of a large eagle and grabbed the boy by his midsection and flew into the air to the cave where her master waited for her. She had flown about five minutes and she could see the waterfall now which the cave was hidden behind.  
Dwarelimon set the boy down gently first and then turned back to her original form, which looked like a women that was about twenty-five years old, with black hair, and light turquoise in color. She picked up Tk and walked behind the rushing water into the cave.  
The cave, when walking further back into it, changed into a long hallway made of wood and carpet. Dwarelimon walked down the hall till she found the door she was looking for. She knocked and then opened the door. That door led to small room that looked much like some one's bedroom. The room had computer on a large desk, a chair, a bed, and a shelve that had large katana's and ceremonial swords and knives.  
"I knew that you would be successful" a man's voice said. Dwarelimon turned to see a person who's features were hidden behind a large black cloak. "Thank you" she said in a voice that didn't sound like it was a single person's, but many. "You can set him on the bed" the man said signaling to the large bed.  
The man walked over to the Tk and undid the make-shift bandage that was once his shirt, and threw it aside. He then walked over to his desk and grabbed a bottle of dust and walked back to the bed. He opened the bottle and pinched some out with his fingers and sprinkled it on Tk's wound. Almost instantly the wound began to heal, and after a moment or two it was normal skin again.  
"Why did you do that?" Dwarelimon asked in her double voice.  
The cloaked person than took one of the ceremonial daggers from the shelve and unsheathed it, all of this he did seeming not to have heard the look alike of a girl's question. "You know and except what is to happen next yes?" the person asked. Dwarelimon nodded 'yes'.  
The man walked over to her and plunged the knife deep into her gut. Dwarelimon shuttered with pain but she was happy, she was finally fulfilling her purpose in life.  
He pulled the dagger out and blood dripped from her wound onto the knife. The man then walked over to the bed and raised the dagger over Tk's chest and plunged it into him to the left center of his chest just below the rib cage.  
Tk awoke from his death suddenly with his new and painful gift of life. His hands immediately went to where the knife was. The pain was fierce, but Tk could do nothing but feel pain.  
Tk finally took his mind of the burning pain in his chest and looked up as the cloaked figure removed the hood to reveal it's face.  
"Gennia?" TK asked his voice distressed. Before anything else could be said, or any other action could be taken, Tk passed out from the pain. 


	3. The House of the Jade Scorpion

Tk awoke to a dimly lit room with a burning sensation in his chest. He looked at his surroundings and thought that he remembered them from his nightmare that he had had about Gennia. He looked at his own stomach and saw that there was large blood soaked bandage.  
"It wasn't a dream" he whispered to himself. He then got out of his bed and walked to the door way. He opened the door and found that this door led to hallway with many doors. He walked into the hall way closing the door behind him and walked toward the direction that didn't have what sounded like a din of running water that could no doubt be a water fall or tsunami of some sorts.  
As he passed each door, it had a number. Some had other things written on them such as 'hall number thirteen thousand four-hundred fifty one. Finally he reached a point where the hall way forked and there was one door in between the two directions that was nameless. So Tk decided to try that one.  
Before Tk tried the door he suddenly became aware of how vulnerable he was. He only had on his tattered shorts and shoes. No more Patamon to protect him, no more team to rely on. He swallowed hard at the memory of Patamon and turned the knob slowly and opened the door up just enough to be able to see.  
He could see Gennia in the back yard of some old Japanese shrine. It was winter here and the snow covered the ground. He saw that the young version of Gennia was sitting on his knees wearing a kimono with large wooden slippers, he was sitting in front of what looked like a tombstone.  
"Tk, enter" he said lifting one hand motioning him forward. Tk opened the door finding how cold this place was. Tk shivered and rapped his thin arms around himself trying to keep in some heat. He walked over and looked at the tombstone which had written upon it 'Dwarelimon'.  
"Who's that?" Tk asked, his voice dry, inquiring about the grave. "That is the one that gave her life so you could save every one else's" Gennia said rather calmly. Tk thought about questioning this, but decided that he would find everything out in good time.  
Tk was starting to shiver worse now and Gennia could tell. "Let us go inside" he said getting up and leading Tk to what looked like a pagoda. He looked behind him once and found that the door he had come through was not attached to anything but was simply a door that stood in the middle of the yard area.  
Once inside Tk felt warmer almost instantly but still held himself in his own arms almost as if to be safer than sorry. He looked around the room and found that it looked like a large computer room with a very large super computer at the center and several chairs surrounding it. "I seem to have found a few of your friends" Gennia said when he saw Tk look over to the open stair way as Izzy and Ken made their way down the steps.  
Izzy and Ken both ran to Tk and hugged him. "Tk! We thought you were dead!" Ken said. Tk made a few noises of hurt and both noticed immediately and pulled away from him. "What happened to you?" Izzy asked him looking him over. "You look terrible" Ken stated. "It's a long story that I hope Gennia will explain to me" Tk said looking over to where Gennia stood, his back to the group arms folded.  
"That I shall good boy, but first lets get you in some real clothes" he said. He led Tk, Izzy, and Ken up to one of the higher rooms of the pagoda. The room that he led them to had eight beds and one sleeping bag off to the side. Each bed had a crest at the top of each of the head boards of the bed; knowledge, friendship, love, etc. By each bed there was a dresser. "So what happened to you any way? You look like a skeleton" Izzy said. "Well I'll tell you when the times right, but for now just take my word that I'm fine" Tk said. He than walked over to the bed with his hope symbol engraved on it and went to his drawer and got out a change of clothes. They were the exact replica of his old ones. "After you get changed, Gennia said that he wanted to talk with us on the top floor" Ken said. Izzy waved them off toward the stairs. After they had left he collapsed on the bed, dead tired his wound sore. He knew that he couldn't last too much longer. He had to keep strong though, for the team, for Kari. He quickly got changed as fast as he could. And when he did he walked back to the stairs of the pagoda and walked up three flights of stairs and entered a room with couches and chairs in a large circle with windows that served as walls that looked out over a large Japanese forest for miles. "It is now time to explain some things" Gennia said "some things that may not make sense." He led ever one to a seat that was close to where he sat on a wooden rocking chair. "Let's start with the hallways with many doors. Those doors represent each and ever single door in every universe and world ever. If there is a door that exist, somewhere in those halls is a door that leads to it" Gennia explained. "So you mean that there's a door that leads to my house and a door that leads to Ken's room?" Izzy asked getting his facts straight. "Yes, and if new doors are made then they are simply added on to the infinity length of the halls. There are an infinite numbers of hall ways and doors" Gennia added to his previous information. "This place that we are in now is like a computer program. I wrote it a long while back when I found through one of these doors the prophecy's that all of you know so well of. This place broadcasts its pirate signal and allows this place to be outside the rules of time and space" Gennia told them.  
"Gennia shouldn't we eat first before we start this?" Ken asked looking over concerned at his gaunt friend that sat to the left of him. "Yeah, I am very hungry" Tk said absentmindedly. "The truth is Tk, would you really except my food after I tell you that I know where Kari is? Would you rest one second until you found her?" Gennia asked him.  
"You know where Kari is!" Tk nearly yelled getting up from his sitting place. "Tk, because of those prophecy's, I've always known what was going to happen. I know what is to happen" Gennia explained. "You mean that you knew what was going to happen to us when you sent us to that battle? You know that people would die? You knew that Patamon would die?" Tk said now actually yelling.  
"Yes, but even if I wanted to, I couldn't have stopped it from happening. Everything is inevitable Tk" Gennia said looking at Tk his expression never changing.  
"Ok so what if that was true? Then how far into the future do you know with these prophesies?" Tk asked lowering his voice but refusing to sit back down.  
"The fates seem to have stopped writing to a certain point that is rapidly approaching, after that moment, I know not of what will come" Gennia said. "That what is that point where your knowledge stops of the future?" Tk said turning his back to Gennia fuming.  
"I can not tell you" he said. "What!?" Tk said turning around. "If I were to tell you what was to happen then you could very well undo existence" Gennia said sounding even more serious than before. "And how do I do that?" Tk asked. "Well, to defy the fates would be like saying the wrong lines in a play. It wouldn't work. "The fates write most things two sided though, it either has this outcome or it has that out come. There is nothing you can do but fallow one of the paths that have already been beaten for you" Gennia concluded.  
"No matter what though, I will succeed" Tk said. "Who are these 'fate' characters Gennia?" Izzy asked rather interested. "They are two beings that have written what has become known as history. They have been around since the creation of all" Gennia told Izzy.  
"How are things like the 'fates' possible in a process like evolution?" Ken asked. "Maybe evolution is the wrong key for your lock so to speak." "I don't understand" Ken said. "No matter, I've spoken too much already" Gennia said.  
"What you must do Tk, is go to the mountains of the north. There you will find your companions" Gennia said. "And what if I refuse to go?" Tk asked defiantly. "You will go, it is inevitable. You know you wouldn't give up on Kari" Gennia said. Tk gave no response.  
"The original destined are the ones we must worry about the most, for they are the ones that originally had the essences of the crests. They are the one that he is after" Gennia said. "Who? And why is 'he' after us? What would be the point, new digidestines were chosen" Izzy inquired.  
"I don't know who the infamous he is, but I do know that he is after you. Each of the original destines were in most aspects, the perfect hybrid of their crests that were assigned to them. When I still worked where I did before the dark forces destroyed it, we had digitized six different mutagens. These genes were quite brilliant you see. They were sent out into Tokyo to find six pregnant mothers.  
"During transcription, they submitted their own amino acids to several mRNA's, the rest of the program simply dissolved into the Cytoplasm. The mutations that occurred after were controlled factors of the dissolved program.  
"These side affects gave you tremendous energy powers in a manner of speaking. Normally the human cell's mitochondria generates and stores so much energy because of ATP. In the mutagens we created however, the body produced hundreds more adenosine triphosphate molecules allowing the mitochondria to store and use more energy so that when your digimon were to combat or digivolve, the extra energy created came from you, not just their own power sources" Gennia explained.  
"Wait, you said that only six mutagens were created, and there are eight digidestines. What about the other two?" Ken asked. "That's where Tk and Kari come in. They became digidestines at least two years after most the rest of the group. What happened was that errors came up in two of the mutagens we created. In 'friendship' and 'courage', special enzymes were left inside of the mother after the child was born. These enzymes recreated the respective mutagen they came from. So when Tk and Kari were conceived, they were immediately infected with the mutagens only with the enhancements of the enzymes that re-created themselves to make the, in a sense, 'super mutagens'."  
"So this person wants Tk and Kari because they can generate far more energy than the rest of the original destine? That's why they were more powerful than the rest of us" Izzy contemplated.  
"Very good Izzy, yes that is true. This person wants the destine in order to work machines of the eld. Pandora's box and the Fatama Jasper. Don't asking what they are, I don't know either. All I know is that these things are extremely powerful and could be terrible if they were in the wrong hands" Gennia said.  
"Who are the 'eld'?" Ken asked. "They were the digital people that used inhabit the digital world long before any destine had ever stepped foot in the digital world. They were my grandfathers" Gennia told. "Wait, I just remembered. Weren't there supposed to be other destines that saved the digital world before us, what about them?" Izzy asked.  
"Those people were in fact, the older six of you Izzy. You came in about a year before you went to the summer camp. I had erased your memory's so you wouldn't remember with a virus that attacked the specific part of your memory. Your body's have treated the virus as a vaccine though, so I can never erase it again, rest assured" Gennia said.  
"No more questions, we have taken longer than I intended to in the answering of questions" Gennia said getting up. "Ken, go with Tk to the Chaos Mountains, for you wont be in any immediate danger" Gennia said walking toward the stares.  
"What about food and supplies? What about being attacked by other digimon? I'm defenseless with out Patamon" Tk said. "Follow me" Gennia said walking toward the stairs. He went down one floor and unlocked the door that led to the door and led them inside.  
It led them to a large room full of weapons that ranged from katanas to morning stars to long swords. Gennia grabbed a katana on the left side of the room that was in a painted black wooden case. Tk pulled part of the sword out of its case to fine that at the base of the steel was the symbol that he knew so well: the symbol of hope.  
"I don't know how to this!" Tk said pushing the sword all the way back into its case. "Then take it with you just in case" Gennia said walking out of the room followed by Tk. They went down to the first floor where Izzy was on the super computer and Ken was talking to his digimon.  
"Ken I've changed my mind, I want you to stay here. Tk must go alone" Gennia said. "Wait a second" Ken started to protest, but Gennia held up a hand to silence him. He then leaned in to Tk's ear and whispered.  
"If Ken were to go with you, your trek would be easier, but the quest would kill him. I knew this and selfishly thought nothing much of it, but I can't send a child off to die" he whispered loud enough so that Tk only could hear.  
"And about food Gennia?" Tk inquired. "I can not send you with food, for digimon are attracted to the smell of food. You would be killed for sure" Gennia said. Gennia then walked back out the door they had walked through earlier and exited the pagoda.  
He made his way all the way back to the hallway with many doors. And started to head all the way back to the place that sounded like a water fall.  
"Gennia how come I don't just enter from one of the doors in this place?" Tk asked following him still seeking an easier way. "I'm afraid not, I know not where all of these doors lead. Like I said one door leads to another door across ever plane of existence. It is far too dangerous" Gennia said.  
"Ok just spare me another science lecture like the one in the top floor" Tk said. Gennia laughed as the reached the end of the hall to where the cave began. "I'm so sorry I have to do this to you, but I have to" Gennia said. Gennia then grabbed the katana from Tk and looped a black rope through a loop that was built into the case so that it could rap its self around Tk's waste like a belt.  
"Be careful, go to the Chaos mountains and find your friends" Gennia said getting on one knee so he could look Tk in the eye's for Gennia was a tall man. "I love you and your friends and always have. Good luck" he said embracing him. Tk embraced back and then let go and turned and entered the cave.  
Gennia watched as Tk left the white hallway and entered the dark cave. After he left he thought about what Tk would have to endure and what was to come for him. "I'm so sorry Tk, I never wanted any of this to happen to any one you" he said. He than turned around and walked back to his devise that he created.  
At the end of the cave Tk found the waterfall that he heard so well. He walked behind it and entered the world that was now around dusk. He walked away from the waterfall to a cliff that was near by and looked out over it.  
He could see the mountains to the north, with their cold and unforgiving slopes and iced caps. "I'm coming every one. I'm coming Kari". 


	4. Meeting the Past You Thought You Knew

Tk climbed down the cliff which took about a half hour. By the time he had gotten to the bottom he was tired once again. His chest seemed to hurt again now. When he went into Gennia's house he found that he forgot all about his fatigue and wounds, but now they were back and as full on as ever.  
It was now almost completely dark and Tk needed to find a place to sleep before was night. He had seen a light below when he was on the cliff still, he had seen a lot when he was on the cliff. He saw that the mountains were far. There was a marsh that led to a forest that gave way to canyons that finally made it's self into mountains. Gennia said that Kari was somewhere around or in the mountain, and Tk knew that he would find his friend's along the way.  
Night was almost completely here now and the suns rays were escaping fast. Tk knew from experience that all the worst things in the digital world came out to play after dark.  
Tk looked up seeing where the light he had seen earlier had come from. It was a small shack that had a light on the inside. Tk walked to the shack and knocked on the door hoping to find something friendly on the inside.  
Tk waited for a long time and there was no response. So he opened the door and looked inside. He found it looked like a cabin some one might have for camping in a northern area. It had a kitchen, a living room and three doors on the same wall. Tk entered and sat down in a chair of the living room.  
TK could smell food from somewhere but didn't bother to look for it, he was far too tired to even try to look for any food. Sudden he felt something, it was physical, yet nothing went on around him; and it was mental but nothing of this feeling went on in his head. Tk jumped from his seat and quickly drew the katana with his right hand upside down and quickly flipped the sword with lightning fast movement and slashed to his right behind him.  
He could hear a loud clash of steel and a slight snicker. He turned his body around keeping his sword stationary. He saw a man that looked about twenty nine, Australian, in good shape, and dressed like he lived in the outback of Australia.  
"We'll good-aye to you too mate" the man said in an Australian accent. The man lowered his weapon which was a larger than normal boomerang with razor sharp steel edges and hand grips on the inside of both ends of the object.  
"You muss be T-Kay" the Australian said in a thick accent. "How do you know my name?" Tk asked lowering the sword. "Two reasons. One: the sword you have there has the crest that I designed me-self. And two: I know that the prophecies say that only you can wield that sword" the man said.  
The man smiled broadly and held out his hand for Tk to shake "The name's Roger". Tk took his hand apprehensively and Roger shook it vigorously.  
"Well tell me then Roger" Tk said re-sheathing his sword. "You said that you designed my crest, Gennia told me that my crests creation was by accident, would you mind clearing that up?" Tk asked looking up at him. Roger laughed mildly and shook his head.  
"That's a name that I haven't heardin a lil while" he said smiling broadly. "Yeah I'll tell you. You see the enzyme that re-created the Mutagen was my creation. I created the two separate ones specifically for you and dear lil Kari. The formula that I developed that made you and Kari stronger than the rest was too experimental for Gennia and Hannibal" he said sounding rather disgusted with the memory.  
"Who's Hannibal?" Tk asked. "Oh yeah, he's one of the three of us that worked on the genome project. I don't know what happened to him, than again I didn't know that Gennia was even alive until you just said you talked to em" he said matter of factly.  
"I made them in secret and my plan was a success like I knew it would be" he finished. "Tell me though, is Gennia living 'in his own universe' like he said he would that's a door inside of the white halls?" he asked in his accent. Tk nodded.  
"I knew it" he said pointing to the ceiling with a quick flick of his arm. He then pointed to the last of the three doors. "That door right there leads only to the white halls, I designed a lil program to be able to do that" he said proudly.  
"Come and tell me about everything over dinner" he said walking toward his kitchen. "I knew what you would generally look like but I didn't expect you to be so thin, come one over here and let me fill you up while you fill me in" Roger said in his accent.  
Tk walked over and sat at on one of the two bar stools that was below the small counter that was used as a table. "What do you want to know?" Tk asked watching Roger cook the meat that he had set aside to be cooked.  
"I want to know what first went wrong. I can only remember from the prophesies what you were supposed to be able to do and that the reason that I run into you is that something terrible went wrong. Oh, and that your searching for something" Roger said thinking for a moment and then continuing on with what he was doing.  
Tk's expression changed into feeling much easier about what he was doing and where he was to very unhappy. "What happened you say?" he said looking down at his feet. "One foot in front of the other" he whispered.  
"I will tell you, you deserve to know I suppose. After all if it weren't for you I wouldn't have the memory's or experiences I would have had" Tk said.  
Tk took a deep breathe and did his best to recall. "Bare with me" Tk said steadying his breathing. He closed his eyes and began to tell his tale. 


	5. A House I built of Utter Descretion

When I orignally posted chapter five, I didn't post it from my personal computer. So when I started writing again from chapter five, I only had up to a certain point. So I decided to delete the old version and I wrote this new one. So tell me if it's any better or any worse:

Chapter 5: A house I built of utter descretion, my new career is demolition.

Tk was staring at the clock sitting in his desk waiting for the bell to ring. There was still a full minute and a half left but all he could do was sit and wait.

They were supposed to go to the Digital world today because Gennia had e-mailed them about something big that was going to happen. Tk had remembered that Gennia had specifically said that it could mean that they're responsibility to constantly save the digital world from darkness would no longer be theirs, but that there would be a period of calm, a period decades long.

Tk thought of these things as they slowly eroded his patients in waiting during his last class of the day. Thirty seconds still remained on the clock and the anticipation, Tk thought, was going to tare him apart.

When the bell finally did ring signaling the end of the school day, Tk was the first out of the room. It was the first one to his locker; he was the first one in the computer room.

Tk sat down at one of the computer stations so he could check his e-mail. He logged unto his account and found that only one e-mail had not been read by him. It was from an unknown sender but he decided that he would open it any way.

Inside it read this: " Today will be the day that all the clocks will chime, today's the day that no one knows that every one runs short of time. No time to rest, no time to walk so long, to know anything or what's right or wrong. The last day of the rest of your life, nothing to know except pain hope loss and strife. You will win you will lose you will battle you're all fools. Nothing is important, everything is vital, no man is king and yet every one's an idol. Hold nothing sacred and clutch it to your chest, today's the day that you will die along with all the rest."

Tk read it a few times just trying to make sense of it. After a minute or so the others started to come in the room ready to visit Gennia.

Tai, Sora, Matt, Izzy, Tk, Kari, Yolie, Davis, Ken, and Cody were all waiting in the computer room; all waiting for some one to speak.

They had all made it except for Joe and Mimi of course because she lived on the other side of the world. As soon as every one was ready to leave Tai turned his leadership skills on auto-pilot and started to take charge.

"So every one's here and accounted for?" he said looking around the room and seeing every one's face waiting. "Ok every one . . ." "Tai!" some one interrupted. Looking over he saw it was Yolie. "Can we just get going?" she asked. "Yeah" every one agreed in unison not caring to hear Tai's leader crap today.

"Yeah sure I was getting to that" he said looking at the computer screen and pointing his Digi-vice at it causing the rift to open. It immediately sucked every one through to the digital world.

After quite a few people had fallen in one big pile they started to get up and take notice of where they were.

"So where are we?" Sora asked as she got up and helped Yolie get up. "Not too far from Gennia I know that" Izzy said as he was being helped up by Tk.

"Well then come on Izzy lead the way" Davis said getting frustrated on not making any progress since they had arrived (even after so little time).

Izzy started off in a direction that he had known about since the e-mail from Gennia. They walked a seemingly short distance and then came upon a small lake.

"Alright Izzy, now what?" Matt asked looking at the surface of the water that stood in front of. "Well if I'm not mistaken this was the same place that we saw him last time. And back then the thing opened like it was an automatic door so . . ." before Izzy could formulate any valid hypothesis, the water parted in front of them so that it revealed a stair way leading down.

"Thanks for that info Izzy" Davis said sarcastically as they all walked by him. Izzy just rolled his eye's following after him with Kari and Tk bringing up the rear.

They all reached the bottom of the stairs to reach a room that was slightly small with nothing but a close to the ground table with pillows surrounding it. It had one door at the edge of the room.

Gennia stepped out from behind the door with a bright white light protruding behind him. He quickly closed the door.

"Hello children, it's been a while" the Old Gennia said standing in front of them. "Have a seat please" he said gesturing toward the pillows.

"So what's this all about Gennia?" Ken asked not wanting to be in such a cramped room. "Well you see as I said in my letter, every thing for your children's responsibility toward the digital world will end. You see after what is to coming to pass, a new cycle will begin. The digital world will reboot and new children will be chosen" he said.

"We'll never have to worry about this place ever again?" Yolie said. "Hmm, yes that's correct" Gennia said nodding his head. "And we'll never be able to see our Digimon ever again will we?" Cody asked speaking out for the first time.

"Well, yes it's a part of the deal that is the New Age. It's part of the burning process. All information that excises inside of the Digital world resets so none of the digimon would remember you regardless.

"No dark creatures will be strong enough to pose any sort of threat for a long period of time called 'The Calm'. New children will be chosen, and a new era will begin just like it has, and how it will".

"But . . . no, that's not fare" Sora said. "Sorry children, this is the way it has to be. This is the way that it has always happened and the way it will always happen" he said knowing that it had only happened once before.

"Regardless of everything, what are we supposed to do? I mean we don't even know where our digimon are right now" Kari asked trying to not think of how she'd never be able to see Gotomon ever again.

"We'll this doesn't have anything to do with your digimon any ways. However once you are finished with your task you may visit them. For once your finished then there will be no connection with any of you and the digital world. So the only way to get back is the trolley that most of you have left on once already," he said.

"I can't believe we have to leave them again" Sora said taking in all of the information almost as if for the first time. "I can't leave Gabumon again" Matt said thinking to himself.

Tai sighed and took a deep breath and then decided to speak. "Well what do we even have to do?"

"Well it's quite simple really, all you have to do is spill your own blood inside the well of digital information. That will undo the connection between each of you and this place" Gennia said.

"What if we refuse to?" Matt said challenging him. "Yeah, what if we just don't do it?" Davis agreed.

"Then the cycle would never continue and after all of you eventually pass away, the digital world would be doomed for no other's could be picked because you never resigned" Gennia concluded from the accusations.

"What about the other children around the world?" Izzy commented trying a new solution. "After they died, no children could be picked because of the special purposes your specific crests hold" he told Izzy matter of factly.

"So your saying that this is basically the only way to keep everything right? It's the only way?" Tai asked saying the right question that every one wanted answered. "Yes" Gennia said knowing better than what he told the kids.

Gennia knew most of what he said was true, he did bend the truth a bit. Other children are nothing like these kids in front of him were. He didn't want to tell them the real reason why he wanted their blood.

"Wait, is this the same well that Matt and I received our crests?" Izzy inquired. "No" Gennia said indifferent.

"So then where is this well?" Cody asked. "It's on top of a mountain which is far from here; but I know of a way that can get you there faster" Gennia said with a half frown for he knew what would happen when they got to their destination. He knew the real truth, but he still didn't know the whole truth.

"So if you are quit ready then I would like to get this done" Gennia said braking the small silence that had come over the group. They were still kids, inside they still didn't understand or comprehend the feeling of loss (except for Sora, Matt, and Tk of course).

Gennia marched them toward the door that he had entered in originally (they all walked as if being led to the gallows). On the side of the door was something which looked like an small ATM built into the wall. It had a screen the size computers monitor but it held nothing in which a normal computer had on it. It had nothing but a black screen with white symbols that no one in the group (except for Gennia) could read it.

On the small keypad on the device Gennia typed in a series of symbols and then pushed a green button located by a red one. The machine buzzed and started to shake inside of the wall. Gennia tapped the side of the screen making the screen's contents shiver.

Something on the other side of the door slammed into it making a cracking sound. It startled every one and a few took a step back (including Gennia).

"Oh no" Gennia said thinking he had more time. "How did he get in here? It isn't possible" he said still in disbelief in whatever it was that he thought was on the other side.

"What is that Gennia?" Tai asked grabbing his arm for the answer. Gennia shook him and off and started to furiously type away at the symbols that no one knew stood for what. Again the door slammed and made a loud cracking noise that sounded like the door breaking. Kari inadvertently yelped making both Tk and Davis move unconsciously closer.

Cody looked to Izzy who was on his computer typing furiously himself trying to help in some way (no one knew how he planned to do this). Cody emerged himself in trying to understand what was being done in order to take his focus off of the door.

Matt was talking to Sora his hands planted firmly on her arms to try and make firm his point. Tai did his best to listen in, but all was lost in the rumbling din of what seemed like a screaming animal with a deep voice and a potential for harm that was behind that door. That door held an evil that every one assessed from scream; one could also tell that the creature was big.

Gennia stood away from the screen immediately after he heard a loud beeping from the panel he typed on. "Every one, run out of here now!" he yelled pointing toward the stairs that they had entered.

They did their best to get out that now, finally the door started to crack. Large chunks of wood and metal shrapnel flew across the room as they climbed the stairs. Finally as Gennia had gotten them to exit up the stairs the door was ripped off its hidden metal hinges and was thrown across the room from what ever creature that had broken it.

"Gennia!" Davis yelled as he pushed the switch that made the water start to collapse on the stairs. Just before the water had covered the stairs, they all saw a large dark head come from behind Gennia and open its big and terrifying mouth and snatch Gennia. You could see sparks flying from the body of the apparently mechanical Gennia as the head pulled the body from site as the rest of the water drowned them both.

"What the hell was that thing?" Tai yelled before looking over at Kari to find she was protected by Tk just fine. Tai then looked over to find that Sora was already attended to by Matt. He felt a wave of jealousy sweep over him as he examined the only people that he wanted to protect most of all.

"Well I don't know about every one else, but I don't want to stick around to find out," Ken said looking around at the group as they did their best to catch their breath. "I concur" Izzy said joining Davis and Ken as they started off into the direction they had come.

"Since we have no idea where we're supposed to go, let's just head back home and see if we can't contact Gennia" Tai said aloud while he walked.

The entire team didn't really walk as one, but in a line really. Tai was up front thinking to himself with Davis walking by his side bragging about his soccer skills. Tai didn't mind Davis, he was a good guy and he had taken over the 'leader' position; but right now he couldn't hear a word that Davis spoke.

'What's the big deal?' he asked himself mentally 'all he did was help her. But then again now that I think about it . . . they have been spending more time with each other . . .' he continued to think while he walked. Tai wasn't even looking where he was going, he just walked with his hands in his pockets.

'Well then what are you doing up here with Davis?' his mind asked himself. 'Why not go back there and talk with her. You two have been friends forever! Why not just go back there like her best friend would and talk to her instead of feeling sorry for yourself because Matt's talking to her?'

"Right" he said to himself aloud. "I know! And that's why we lost, because of the damn ref" Davis rambled.

Before Tai could manage anything else they had finally reached the television they had come in by. "We're here!" Davis yelled to others that had subsequently been directly behind him.

"Jeez Davis, were right here" Yolie said feeling her ear for blood. "Didn't know" Davis said shrugging.

Ken closed his eyes and shook his head at Davis and walked past him pointing his Digivice toward the screen to open the portal. After a moment Ken opened one questioning eye toward the television before turning his full attention to the unlit screen.

"Huh . . ." Ken mumbled while moving away from the screen and examining his Digivice. "What is it?" Cody asked moving closer to see what Ken found so interesting about his Digivice. "It didn't work" Ken replied working out the details in his head.

"Quit screwing around guys lets go" Davis said pointing his own electronic apparatus at the square TV. When nothing happened, he started to shake his device and hitting it on the side of the TV.

"Whoa, can I inspect here?" Izzy said as forcefully as he could when he saw Davis abusing technology. "When something doesn't work, don't hit it. Ever!" Izzy said grabbing Davis' hand when he tried to hit the TV again. Davis coolly pulled his hand away from Izzy's grasp. "Ever" Izzy reiterated firmly.

"Whatever, just get the stupid thing to work k?" Davis said looking at everyone twirling his finger in a circle by his temple giving the international symbol for being crazy.

Kari sniggered at this and Davis gave her a knowing smile and she returned it, 'man I love it when she smiles'.

Tai walked over to where Sora and Matt were talking and they stopped what they were saying as soon as they noticed him. Almost feeling obligated to say something Tai asked quietly "Hey Sora? When we get back to the real world, could we talk?" "Sure thing Tai" Sora said with tired eyes.

'What is she tired from?' Tai asked himself as he walked back to see the progress on the TV. "Hey Izzy what's the hold up?" Yolei asked becoming inpatient as she thought about the dark creature in the lake.

"Well, I hacked in and I've ascertained that the television's signal has been fading exponentially since our arrival. And it would seem that on a linear scale that this machine has been attempting to restore the equilibrium of power to generate our passage back into our own world. But it's now clearly evident to me that because of all the power that has been surging to this juncture the transformer for this power grid will blow in a matter of moments because of the minute size of television" Izzy said moving away from the TV.

Davis furrowed his brow and rubbed the bottom of his chin with his fingertips and looked back at Izzy "what?"

"Get away from the TV!" Izzy yelled from behind him. Every one started to run in any direction away from the TV. Seconds later the TV exploded in a grand show of fire and brief static jolts around the wreckage.

"Cool" Cody commented walking toward the ruined TV with every one else. "Alright Izzy where's the next closest TV?" Yolei asked.

"You're not quite grasping the gravity of our situation. Because the transformer was destroyed none of the TV's in this power grid will be operational" Izzy stated.

"Well then we can just go to a TV in a different power grid right?" Ken said trying to solve this problem.

"I'm afraid not," Izzy began again "the way the surge affected the power grid, we basically flipped the circuit breaker. So no power will work on any of the grids that work off of this continent's breaker. So we really can't get home until we either A) find the breaker and flip it back on. Or B) we find a way to get to another continent where the grids were unaffected by the surge" Izzy said surmising all of his musings.

"What about the trolley? The one that we were supposed to use after we lost all connection to the digital world?" Ken said trying his best to find a loophole.

"Nope, it ran off of the same grid that everything else does," Izzy said unfortunately putting the theory to rest.

"So what your saying is that we're stuck here until we turn the power back on?" Sora said rubbing the back of her neck in worry as she spoke. "It would appear so" Izzy replied.

Tai could over here what Matt said quietly to her: "Don't worry Sora, you know as well as I do that time is slow here. And even if it wasn't, there's nothing you could do to help." "I know Yama, but I just feel so . . . helpless" Sora said holding her head in her hands. Matt didn't reply but simply put his hand on her shoulder for comfort.

'Yama? Since when did she call him that? And what were they talking about?' Tai asked himself. Before Tai could ask any of these questions aloud he was thrown out of his thought process by further conversation.

"Izzy is there any good news in any of this?" Tk asked running a hand through his hair. "Actually, I do. In my search to find what plagued the TV I did come across a map and some random schematics of this continent," said smiling.

"So you know where the power plant and everything is?" Kari asked excitedly. "Yes but unfortunately it's a bit of trek, so we'll have a ways to go. However there is a city on the way that I'm sure we can find some sort of supplies, rations, or something of that fashion" Izzy finishing his spiel.

"Well then unless any one has any thing else to say, then lead the way," Tk said sighing after he spoke; "I'm sure this is going to be interesting."


	6. What you left behind, it hurts my teeth

Joe sat by the phone contemplating whether or not to put it to use. He stood up and paced about the room looking at each of the four white walls that he knew so well. The room wasn't entirely Joe's however, he shared a room here at Oakland Prep- a private school in New York State.

Joe walked into the bathroom locking his and the joining rooms door. He undid his navy blue tie and unbuttoned the first two buttons on the top of the uniform's white shirt. He leaned over the sink and looked over at his reflection in the mirror.

When he moved to America Joe changed his appearance somewhat. He had replaced his glasses with contacts, started styling his hair shorter and a little more wildly, and had let a small blue soul-patch grow below his lip. And it all sincerely helped his confidence and social status. Even when you go to an all boy's school, you tend to find out where all the girls in the city are.

Yet after all the time he had spent with his new found confidence and mellow state of mind, the only girl that he found himself interested in and always had been interested in was surprisingly not that far away.

Joe walked back into his double and sat back down by the phone. 'Ok what's the rule again? Your supposed to wait two days? Or wait, no no it was three I think . . .' Joe tossed it over in his mind a phew more times twirling the small tuft of hair under lip staring off into the distance.

He clenched his jaw tightly, sighed, and then dug into his pocket and found the piece of paper that had her number on it. He read the name on it several times and looked down at the number and smirked realizing that it was the same number as was on a song that he had heard on the radio once.

"Eight six seven five three oh nine" Joe smirked. "Singing to yourself again eh?" a voice said walking into the room from the bathroom. Joe looked over to see his blonde haired room mate wearing the same dress shirt and tie that Joe was wearing.

"Oh hey Jet. No, no it's this girls number" Joe said looking back down at the piece of paper. "Oh hey get out," Jet said smirking letting himself fall back onto his bed and looking over at Joe. "So a girl huh? For a little bit there you were on the homo suspicion list."

"Shut up man," Joe said shaking his head. "Whatever, I know now. But ah, this girl . . . One- do I know her. And two- is she cute?" Jet said sitting up.

"Well for one no you don't know her. And two," Joe said looking away and the directly back to Jet "Yes." Jet laughed lightly "nice! So where did you meet her?" "At the football game last night. When we took a break for half time she called me from the bench and-" Joe was cut off by Jet.

"Wait how'd she call you? By your number or something?" Jet asked slightly confused yet still amused. "No, um I knew her back in Japan actually. I knew she moved to America, but I had no idea she had been so close to Oakland" Joe explained.

"Wow, that's like a one in a million chance" Jet said his eye's growing wide in amazement. "Yeah, I mean she was just as surprised as me. We didn't get much of a chance to talk because she had just noticed as third quarter was starting. So she gave me her number" Joe said resting his head in his hand and looking up at the ceiling.

"B.A. dude you should take her to ah," Jet snapped his finger a few times while looking up and then looking back at Joe and pointed toward the window "oh, you should take her to Haden's party tonight."

"Every one there is either going to be shit faced or trippin on acid, I'm not taking her to cesspool like that" Joe said waving the idea away. "If she feels like it I was going to take downtown to catch Dashboard Confessional at the My Space Internet Café. Their playing an acoustic set so we could still catch up."

"Oh I didn't know that Dashboard was playing tonight," Jet said looking off into the corner of the room. "Well it wasn't publicized, only the people that are friends with them on My Space were invited. It's just going to be a small show, only the lead singer will be there," Joe said.

"Score one for M.F. Joe! Well sweet, I'm going over Haden's to help set up the party k? Good luck tonight man Who-Rah!" Jet yelled getting up and walking out of the room. Joe smirked at this picked up the phone after he heard the door to the stairs close. He dialed her number and put the receiver to this year. After a few rings the other end picked up and Joe heard the familiar voice float into his ear.

"Hello?" "Hey Mimi? It' s Joe, you know- Japan Joe" he said making sure that she'd remember. She giggled lightly at the comment "Yeah, hey Joe what's up?" "I was calling to see what you were up to tonight. I was thinking that maybe we could catch up on old times," Joe said sounding cool. "Um no, I've got nothing . . . Why, what did you have in mind?" she asked. "Well there's a little Dashboard concert downtown at the café. That is if you like them . . ." Joe trailed off. "No no I love them! When you called I actually had their song _Hands Down _as a ring tone" she said excitedly.

They worked out the details of time and place before they said goodbye. "Great" he said after placing the phone back down on the base "what the hell should I wear?" Just then Jet walked back in and waved at Joe "Hey guy, I almost forgot my keys. I don't want to get locked out after lights out!" he said glancing around in search. Jet's older brother had made an illegal copy of the dorm's keys years back when he attended the school and passed it down to his younger brother.

"Forget about your keys right now, I need your help deciding what I should wear tonight." Damn it dude, now I gotta put you back on the list!" "What list?" "The homo suspicion lis-" "Shut up about the list and help." Jet shook his head sighing while walking over to Joe's dresser.

"Ok fine, what are you wanting to look like huh? The smooth criminal, the sensitive charmer, or the cool jazz musician." "Um, I don't know. I want to impress her, but I don't want to look high and mighty you know?"

"Oh yeah I know what you mean dude, Bong!" Jet said really tonguing the last word. After another minute or so Jet pulled out a few pieces of clothing. A maroon American Eagle polo, a turquoise T-shirt to go underneath, dark-blue jeans, and a worn black leather belt.

"There you go dude if this wont work, then go ahead and give her my number," Jet said laughing at his own joke. "Whatever man, I thought you were dating Stacy." "I wouldn't say I've 'dating' her Joe. But man, I hit that shit once at the bar and once when I got to the hotel, SLUTS!" he yelled. "What the hell are you talking about?" Joe asked looking at Jet like he was a moron. "It's a movie! Come on, you gota work with me on this one. Ok whatever, have fun tonight asshole" Jet said jokingly before he grabbed his keys and left once again.

Joe took a long and hot shower shampooing once and sudsing up twice. After he dried himself off and got dressed he looked at himself in the mirror. He carefully styled his hair and looked at himself once more sizing himself up. 'What else? What else?' he thought to himself.

After looking around his room carefully he found his brown leather watch with the square face and a bottle of Vurt cologne. When he had finished applying the precise amount of cologne, he went to the computer to check his mail.

He checked through all of his inbox deleting some older pieces and marking some as junk. "Lets see here. Spam, spam, win a free Ipod, natural male enhancements, hey a review bot for fiction press!" Looking further down the list Joe found an older e-mail from Gennai asking him to the digial world.

"This is addressed to every one else too," Joe said to himself looking over the email. "Wow," he said surprised "never having to worry about going back . . ." He looked at the ceiling in wonder and let out a breath that he had been holding.

Joe got up and pulled out his old messenger bag from years ago from under his bed. After looking through a few pockets he found his digivice. He smiled slightly at the site thinking back on Gomamon. Joe had almost entirely forgotten about him, it seemed almost another lifetime ago.

He slipped the electronic into his pocket after putting his old bag back under his bed. Glancing at his watch Joe noticed that it was time to go. He grabbed his wallet and keys off the nightstand and left to his car.

Joe arrived exactly one minute late to pick up Mimi from her parent's apartment and she was waiting for him on a small wooden bench. She was wearing a white tank top that had _Motion City Soundtrack _written across the chest, a short black skirt, and checkered Vans shoes. She looked so beautiful with her now wavy blonde hair that hung down and reached just past her shoulders.

"Well well Japan Joe! Your late," she said smiling. "Hey Mimi" Joe chuckled. "So uh, nice car. What is it?" Mimi asked sarcastically. "Shut up, it's a 81 GM Olds Mobile. It's all I could afford even after my parents sent me birthday money!" "I was just kidding," Mimi said giggling.

"I don't mean to sound weird or anything but, I really missed you Mimi" Joe said smiling while putting the car into drive and pulling away. "No, I missed you too Joe" she replied returning a smile.

"So, I think I need a nickname now too" Mimi said breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen between them. "A nickname?" Joe asked slightly confused. "I mean, apparently they call you Japan Joe, so I need one too," she said matter-of-factly. "Well it's not really a nickname, I just said that so you'd remember me."

"Then do you have a nickname?" Mimi asked. "Well, yeah . . . they call D.P. short for donkey puncher. Yeah I didn't come up with it . . ." Mimi just started to laugh and shook her head. "Wow Joe, your something else."

"But let's see here, I have a nickname for you," Joe said. "Ok lets here it" Mimi said preparing herself for whatever he said.

"How about Megalomaniac Mimi?" Joe said smirking. "No! It's supposed to be short, that's why it's a nickname," she said scolding him jokingly.

"Well your name's short enough already lets just leave it at that ok?" he said smiling. "Ok" she said regaining her breath. After a few more seconds Joe pulled into the parking lot and they started to walk to the café.

Once they had gotten inside Mimi was silently thanking everything that so few people were actually here for such a popular band. "Where should we sit?" Mimi asked looking over at the tables by the stage. "Any where you'd like, sit somewhere I'll be right back" Joe said moving in the direction of the bathrooms.

Mimi watched Joe leave, shrugged, and then went and picked out a table toward the left center of the stage. 'This will be perfect, not too close, not too far away' she thought.

She sat for a moment and watched the road crew guys set up and do a sound check. "Looks like we'll have a great view for the show" Joe said from behind Mimi startling her. "Coffee?" he asked handing her some sort of chilled drink. After taking a drink she nodded her head approvingly and asked "this is coffee?" "Yeah, they make it with milk and ice and God knows what else, but it's delicious."

For the next hour or so they talked about the past few years, life in America, and what they both had been up to since. They talked up until the singer took the stage and started his set. Joe didn't know the band too well, he had a CD and few downloaded songs here and there, but not enough to the songs like Mimi seemed to. According to her, the first song they played was called _A Plane Morning_.

Through out the concert Joe half paid attention to the singer half watched Mimi enjoying the show. She had become so beautiful. 'I mean sure, she was pretty before, but now she was utterly gorgeous' Joe though trying not to stare.

Dashboard had ended the concert with a song that Joe did know called _Screaming Infidelities _and by that time the whole shop was singing along. After the song finished, the singer thanked everyone for coming out and left the stage.

"Oh Joe that was awesome!" Mimi said jumping up from her chair. "Yeah I thought it was pretty good," Joe replied. "So what do you want to do now?" Mimi asked looking over at the wall clock. "Well since this is an Internet café I thought we could check out a computer for at least a quick second to check out that email that I got from Gennai."

"You got an email from Gennai?" Mimi asked surprised by just the name. "Yeah, I thought every one got one" Joe said confused. "I deleted my email a long time ago because my computer started getting a bunch of viruses. Well what did it say?"

"I don't know, something about doing something" Joe said thinking back. "Well that's real helpful." "That's why I wanted to go check it out!" "Well then lets go!" Mimi said pushing Joe towards the computer section of the café.

Joe logged onto a computer and went to his mail account. "Let's see . . . Here we are Gennai's email" Joe said clicking on the link.

When the screen loaded they began reading, yet before they got too far into the email the screen turned a bright white and jolts of static electricity started to kick up out of the monitor.

"No . . . it can't be!" Joe yelled before being sucked into the screen with Mimi. Joe landed on his back and Mimi landed right on top of him.

"Oh God my head" Mimi said rubbing it slightly. "Yeah . . . and my back" Joe said from underneath her. "Oh I'm sorry!" Mimi said getting up off of him before helping him up. "It's ok" Joe mumbled looking around. "Yeah, this is the digital world" Joe said not as happy as he had been.

"So what should we do?" Mimi asked handling her digivice to see if she could find any one on it. After a moment she realized that it wasn't working. "Wait, digivice isn't working."

Joe quickly pulled his own out to discover that he's was also nothing but a blank screen. "Yup, mines busted too."

"Ok, back to my question . . . what should we do?" Mimi asked once more. Before Joe could answer, they both heard an electrical hum getting louder. With out a word, Joe grabbed Mimi and tossed her aside and standing in the way of the blast of the TV exploding.

"Joe!" Mimi yelled looking up to see that Joe still stood but looked down at his now burnt right forearm. Mimi got up and looked at Joe's arm assessing the burns at what seemed to be second degree. "Are you ok?"

"I'll be ok, I just really liked this shirt" Joe said looking at the black marks on the sleeve of his polo. "So to answer your earlier question- I don't know what to do-"

A/N: I have to admit this has probably been one of the more fun chapters to write. I never really liked Joe or Mimi in the show, and mature them more and putting them in new lights really made it so much more fun. And I do know how I will have this end, I do know some major plot developments, but I don't know exactly what's going to happen along the way. After this chapter I do know that Joe and Mimi will play bigger parts. I do know this will be Tk and Kari couple, but I'm not sure about the other triangle. I don't know, if you review, then you should vote on who you want to win. Also, I know there aren't many of you that read this but I hope you'll appreciate this because I just finished this at 4:23 am on the 17th.


	7. Stop Me if You've already heard this

Tk rested his head in his hands feeling tired with the simple retelling of a story. He didn't want to continue. Everything only got worse, it only ended with failure. It ended in a deep blinding sadness that still stained his bones and unsettled his stomach.

"Take your time mate, have some soup" the Ausie said getting up and grabbing a bowl from the cupboard. Roger had finished his culinary project and wanted to make sure that Tk didn't leave his shack without getting a hot meal into him.

"There you go" Roger said his accent still as thick as ever handing over the bowl and pair of chopsticks. "Thanks" Tk said quickly eating all the carefully spiced meat and vegetables and slurping down the broth.

"Wow, you were pretty hungry eh?" Roger asked impressed at the speed at which Tk ate. "It's been a while," Tk said trying not to think too much about it. "Well, I don't mean to be a buggah but what happened next?" "Well," Tk continued "we would walk for hours and hours. We would rest when we needed, but we always kept going in the direction that Izzy said because he had the maps. Hours turned to days and days turned into a full month spent simply walking. Time seemed to elapse more and more slowly.

And the food that we found seemed to be few and far between. The water that we drank from the river seemed to taste funny in a way that worried us. We were all getting weak, we couldn't find any sign of Gennai, and things just seemed to get worse as time went on" Tk said quietly. "It wasn't until . . . until-" Tk stopped and took a deep breath feeling his lungs becoming heavy with apologies.

"I'm sorry it's just . . ." "It's just what mate? It's ok, take it slow. Rogers here, nothin's happenin" Roger said looking at Tk's downcast face. Tk looked up and Roger stared into glassy eyes, and after a nod and a quick hand threw his hair, Tk regained his composure and continued on with his story.

"We've been trying for the past four years to protect this place and I never believed that I'd ever find a monster that could so easily haunt me. And it's been a struggle for the past few nights- sorry I'll continue" Tk said shaking his head.

"No worries man, take your time" Roger said reassuringly. "Right" Tk said regaining strength "it wasn't until we found our Digimon that things hit an all time turn for the worst." Tk said trying to keep his newfound strength to try to tell the rest of his sad story.


	8. I'll wait until I know your fast asleep

I've been finding it harder and harder to continue getting into this story. I mean, I already know how this entire story is going to end up now, but it's just kind of a hastle since the only available writing time that I have is from twelve at night to about four in the morning. Idk, maybe a few of you will like it and that'll make it all worth while:

-

"Here I found some" Tk said setting down his small bundle of fruit on the cleanest part of the grass. Kari bent down next to Tk and smiled while she picked one. They both went and sat against a tree while the others immediately started to devour the small pile.

"Aren't you going to eat one?" Kari asked right before she took her first bite of the wild fruit. "I snuck one before I brought them back," Tk said lying with a smile. "You know Tk, you really look like you've lost a lot of weight," Kari said looking down at his arms that he draped across his lap. Once they were strong and lean, but now they were stick like and thin.

"Well good to know I was fat before" Tk said trying to lighten the mood and perhaps change the subject. "No, you know what I mean. You were thin before, but your starting to really worry me" Kari said. "Don't worry about me, worrying only wastes energy. I mean look at every one else, they've all gotten slimmer too, including you skinny!" Tk said tickling Kari's side lightly.

Kari giggled and tried to put up a defense but to no avail. Davis sat down in front of them just as Tk had finished his assault. "What's going on over here?" Davis asked nonchalantly. "Not a whole lot" Kari answered catching her breath. "Yeah I bet" Davis looking over at Tk with a raised eyebrow.

"And what's your story Tb?" Davis said mispronouncing his name on purpose. "Well first of all I'm not tuberculosis, and second of all, what?" Tk said leaning back against the tree. "I came over here to challenge you to a friendly game of arm wrestling."

"Why?" Tk said smirking at the idea. "Just a gentle men's contest" said Davis. "And what will you give me if I win?" Tk said playing along. "I'll get your name right," Davis continued never breaking eye contact. "And if I lose?" "Then I get a kiss from Kari" Davis concluded.

"Wait a minute" Kari said looking over at Davis "don't you think you should ask before you start making bets like that?" "Well I figured since you two were such good friends that it wouldn't be that big a deal" Davis said trying his best to be innocent.

Tk looked over at Kari with a slight smile on his face, Kari looked at him with a serious look that faded into a smirk. "Fine, your on" Tk said.

Davis moved himself in front of Tk and put his elbow to the ground with his hand up waiting to except Tk's hand. Tk put his hand in Davis' and the both squeezed hard in anticipation. "On the count of three. One, two," before Davis said three he started to push Tk's arm down. "Three" he yelled almost pinning Tk's hand. Davis seemed to be winning and Tk wouldn't give in but was clearly having a hard time. His arm started shaking and his fist turned white. And just before Davis pinned him- Kari started to poke Davis' side causing him to involuntarily to flinch and twitch and inevitably loose control enabling Tk to pin him.

"Hey, no fair!" Davis said holding his side laughing still. "Well you didn't start correctly so that's what you get," Kari said playfully. Tk said nothing but looked down at his now red hand that had slight purple marks where Davis' hand was.

"So the winner is Tk!" Kari said leaning over and planting a quick and soft kiss on his cheek snapping him back to reality and forgetting about his hand. "Whatever, whatever" Davis said getting up and walking over to find the last piece of fruit.

"How's your hand?" Kari reaching for Tk's hand. "It's fine," Tk said pulling his hand out of reach. Kari looked Tk over thinking to herself. She knew that Tk was stronger than that, and she knew that he was more durable than that. Maybe the loss of weight had really diminished his strength and durability.

"Hey Tai, we should get a fire going before the sun goes out or else we'll have to search for rocks to bang together" Tk said getting up. He held out his hand to Kari to help her up and she took it noticing him clench his jaw at the grip of the same hand but he wouldn't let her let go until she had stood all the way up.

"Yeah your right Tk, come every one you know the drill" Tai called out. The call out only resulted in several small groans from everyone. And they started to gather dry leaves and branches to put into a pile where the food had been. They were still on the forest path so a forest fire would be unlikely, it was just more convenient to find kindling.

When the group had gathered a sufficient pile to last through the night, they had borrowed Izzy's reading glasses and began to use the lenses as a magnifying glass to heat the dried leaves to eventually start a fire. Ken got the idea from a book that he read called _Lord of the Flies_.

As every one started to settle down Tai tapped Sora's shoulder "could we talk for a minute?" Sora nodded and stood following Tai back down the path out of hearing distance of every one else. Yawning real big she asked "what do you need to talk to me about?" "I wanted to, I don't know, talk" Tai said trying to get to the point but not sure how.

"What about?" she asked once again unsure of what was going on. "Sora, I noticed that you and Matt were spending a lot of time together and I was wondering if . . . Well, I wanted to know what you thought about . . . Because I really li-" Tai kept stopping each thought process as it came up because every time he started he sounded dumb to himself.

"What?" Sora asked more confused than before. "I'm just going to say it. Well, there's more than one thing I want to say I guess too. I mean, you and Matt talk a lot now and days and I was curious I, you two were . . . you know" Tai said trying not to be shy about it.

"If we're- dating?" Sora finished for him. Tai shook his head yes afraid that if he spoke that he would jumble his words once more.

"Well no, not really, we just talk I guess" Sora said sounding apprehensive. "About what?" Tai asked more confused now. "I talk to him about things that we really connect on" Sora said cryptically. "And you can't talk to me about it?" Tai asked feeling equal parts hurt and angry.

"Tai you wouldn't understand!" she said becoming broken up about the subject matter. "What couldn't I understand. I bet I could with time, I mean you never gave me a chance!" Tai said defending his case. "So what is it, are you jealous?" Sora asked accusingly trying to change the subject.

"I'm concerned for my best friend whom I've known for years. The same best friend that I shared all my secrets with and I thought that I knew hers!" Tai said letting his anger get the best of him.

"Just leave me alone Taichi!" Sora yelled turning around and running back to camp. "Shit" Tai muttered walking back to camp himself.

Back at the fire Matt was on watch, he sat up in a tree to see anything coming from either direction. He played his harmonica softly trying his best to make up a new tune. Before he got too far however he could hear footsteps. He looked in the direction in whence they came and saw Sora running. Matt hopped down and called to her softly "Sora?" Instead of saying anything she ran to him and nearly knocked him over in a hug in which he returned.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Matt asked softly leading her in the opposite direction that she had been running. "I told you he wouldn't understand" Sora said softly into Matt's shoulder. "What do you mean what happened?" Matt asked confused.

"He's jealous because he thinks we're- and I think he likes me" Sora said thinking about what had just happened. "Really?" Matt asked interested, "but you didn't tell him?" "No, he got mad and I don't even want to talk to him when he's like that."

"Oh, I see" Matt said absentmindedly 'but the whole point of what we talked about was to tell Tai what was going on' Matt thought.

"Thank you" Sora said looking at the ground "I don't know what I'd do with out you." "Eh don't sweat it" Matt said disappointed at the outcome of the conversation.

Before they could say anything else, they heard rustling in the bushes. Matt put a finger up to his lip and started to approach the bush that was shaking. They had had great luck thus far about running into wild Digimon, but they would have to run into something sometime . . .

Matt quickly reached his arm and grabbed the thing in the bush and started struggling with it as it made odd squawking sounds. After another short second he pulled out his hand and held Byomon's leg. After he realized who it was, Matt let go.

"Byomon!" Sora yelled hugging the pink bird to her chest. "Sora!" the bird yelled extremely happy to see the girl. "What are you doing here?" Sora asked. After releasing the bird she realized what horrible shape she was in. Her feathers were ruffled and she had a few cuts bleeding from different places.

"We've trying to find you guys!" the bird exclaimed still not believing that she had found her partner. Sora looked her Digimon over carefully "what happened to you? Where have you been?" "We were captured by a force field that was coming from this strange mechanical flying car looking thing. It managed to hold us captive on this island to the north, but we escaped. It took us an eternity to get to you guys!"

Sora could only hug her partner now, a huge weight had lifted from her shoulders. "Where are the others?" Matt cut in very seriously. Pulling away from the hug the bird answered "they were right behind me." Matt hopped over the bushes and looked around squinting into the darkness. He saw a figure just a few feet off and tensed readying himself for anything until he could hear his brother's voice along with another.

"Patamon I can't believe it's you" Tk said tossing his small pig esque Digimon in the air and catching him. "Neither can I" the small creature said. From behind him, Matt could hear the others start to wake from the noise outside of their path.

"Tk? Is that Patamon?" Kari asked walking toward them. Suddenly Gatomon leaped from a nearby tree into Kari's arms. "Oh Kari I missed you!" Gatomon purred into her chest. Soon the rest of the kids came out of the clearing and started to find their partner.

Davis held Veemon over his head, Matt embraced Gabumon, Sora talked softly to Byomon, Izzy found his way over to Tentamon, Kari held Gatomon, and Tk fell back with Patamon onto the grass. Tai came to where the Yolei and Cody where.

"What's going on?" Tai asked confused forgetting about what he had planned to say to Sora. "Every one's Digimon are here" Yolei barely whispered. Tai's eyes lit up and he called out "Agumon! Come over here let me hug you!" Tai looked around smiling. "The coast is clear come on out!"

"Tai" Byomon called out. Tai stopped in his tracks, his smile faltered into a thin line, but he didn't face the Digimon that called out to him. "Some of the others didn't quite make it here. Gomamon, Agumon-" "No" Tai whispered almost inaudibly.

"It's not true. He's stronger than that," Tai said cutting her off almost as if he was trying to convince himself. By now, every one had become silent. "I'm sorry," Byomon said. Now Yolei could no longer hold it in, she let out a sob and began crying. Cody held his head in his hands, not crying, but in deep emotional trauma.

Tai still stood as still as stone, no one was sure what to do- his back still to every one. "Taichi?" Kari said walking over to him. He stood just as he did before. Kari came and put a hand on his shoulder for support only to have it quickly shrugged away by a wide-eyed Tai backing away from her.

"No" he said backing away "it's impossible." Kari tried once again to comfort her brother but he simply turned his back to her and ran from them all.

"Tai wait!" Kari called after about to run after him. "Let him go" Tk said knowing "you can't do anything for him." "Well some one has to do something!" Kari said angrily turning toward Tk. "You can't do anything for him." "And how would you know that? How do you know Tai so well?" "I know him well enough to know that he needs some one else right now" Tk said turning and looking over at Sora.

"Wait, Tk you don't understand Sora's n-" Matt began to explain. "I understand that Sora's the only one that can do anything right now" Tk interrupted. Matt looked ready to protest until Sora put up her hand to silence him.

"Tk's right, I should go" Sora said putting a hand on Matt's shoulder. Both Kari and Matt looked surprised as Tk and Sora nodded to each other before Sora got up and followed the direction of where Tai went.

Sora walked for a long time until she considered going back. And just before she did, she could hear Tai. After a moments such she found brace himself with his left hand on a tree and his right on his knee throwing up onto overgrowth.

In this moment Sora realized how weak Tai really seemed. His hair just as messy but not from style, but just from lack of care. His eyes with dark baggage, his once muscular frame seemed diminished.

"Tai, I'm so sorry about Agumon . . ." Sora said grasping for words to help her continue. "You know what?" Tai asked trying to clear his throat of any remaining bile "don't bother." He spoke raggedly and gasped for breath "I don't want to hear anything from you."

"This isn't still about earlier is it? Not about me and-" but Sora was interrupted.

"It's only you. It's only ever been you. You're the only one that can bring me to my knees, the only one that can make me feel as insecure as I feel" Tai began standing up but leaning against the tree for support.

"It keeps me up at night, it kills me inside to think of you being held by some one else. To have your lips pressed against some one else's. And everything that I keep pushing down inside myself just keeps resurfacing and I'm on my own on this. There's no one I can talk to anymore, no one I can even ask what another word for desperate is now that Agumon's gone. He was my last hope. But I guess that that could be hard to understand when you have the people that you do."

"Tai my mother's got cancer" Sora blurted. When Tai looked into her face he could see her eyes swell with tears. "She's due to die any day now and I don't want to waste my time here while she's in the hospital wilting like all of the flowers in her shop are. And not to mention that now there is no income the shop's going to be foreclosed by the bank and the landlord has been hounding me for rent. So bills are piling up including the hospital's and there's nothing I can do but watch my life fall apart."

Tai said nothing and only panted softly as Sora cried her eyes out to him. "And because I'm a minor the courts going to put me into a foster home after my mother dies. I'm sure they won't make me pay the bills but I won't be able to keep anything! I did my best to simply keep this a secret, but after a long night of crying in the cold because I locked myself out of the apartment Matt found me and carried me to his apartment where we stayed up the whole night talking. He's been helping me through this, we're not romantically involved!" Sora nearly yelled finishing up her speech.

After a long silence Tai whispered in defense "I could've helped too if you would have let me." "Don't you understand Tai?" Sora continued "I didn't want help, if Matt hadn't forced it out of me no one would know."

"I'm sorry," Tai barely whispered "about everything." Sora sighed and walked over to where Tai had sat himself with his knees pulled up to his chest. "I'm sorry too," she said embracing him. He let himself let go of his knees and wrap his arms around her waist. They held each other for a while until they started to see the beginning of a sun rise.

"We should probably get back" Sora whispered and Tai nodded into her shoulder and they got up and walked back holding hands.


	9. If your going down then take me with you

Hello readers! What's going on in your world? Well I just started working construction with my brother, today I worked 11 hours. So that means I me be a little slow on updating (which is funny cause I first started this story three years ago . . .) Any how, this chapter is a bit graphic, not for the faint of heart. In fact the next chapter will be a little gruesome so be aware of that. AFTER THAT- it should be smooth sailing. Any how, enjoy and please review (reviews are the only things that keep me writing).

"So how've you been holding up with out me?" Patamon squeaked out while lying on his stomach next to Tk as they both looked up past the foliage and into the small blots of heaven they could see. Tk sighed lightly and thought of the best response.

"I've been ok," Tk said but didn't think "how about you guys? What's life like without having to battle, well besides the whole capture thing." "Really kinda boring" Patamon laughed. Tk smiled unsure of what to really think of it. "I'm so glad you made it" Tk said very seriously. "I couldn't bare to let myself go without seeing you again. Plus the ones that did make it were stronger . . ." Patamon said trailing off.

"Wait, what do you mean stronger?" Tk asked his friend sitting up. "Well it's always been rumor, but ever since I was young it's been said that a Digimon becomes very weak and vulnerable when their partner forgets about them. It's like a sickness, and the others . . . it was obvious that they wouldn't make it."

Tk looked on in wonderment, so Tai was so preoccupied with jealousy to even think about Agumon; and what about Yolei, Cody, Mimi, and Joe? They obviously didn't remember their friendships waiting in the digital world. Tk silently thanked whatever it was that kept his memories of Patamon so strongly through the times.

He had tried earlier to talk to Yolei and Cody about their loss but neither of them wanted to talk. Tk didn't push it too much because he knew that he himself wouldn't want to be bothered about it if it happened to him.

Before he could think much more of it he found Kari and Gatomon had wondered their way over to where he and Patamon were. Tk smiled tiredly at Kari as he held his head in his hand. "You look a little tired," Kari said with a sleep-deprived smile of her own.

"Yeah you preach it there Kari" Tk said shaking his head. Kari giggled lightly as Gatomon made herself comfortable in her lap trying to get a quick nap in now that she knew that Kari was safe. By now Patamon was already asleep in the grass and Kari picked up Gatomon and put her next to the pig like form.

Kari looked him over and pursed her lips into a pout and asked Tk in her most pathetic voice"be my pillow?" Tk laughed letting his head fall back and looking back up at the forest ceiling. "Sure" he laughed out before standing up and then sitting against a slightly slanted tree. Kari got up and sat in between Tk's legs and leaned back to where her head was resting just below his chin. It didn't take them long before they both fell asleep.

Tk and Kari were already too far into a slumber to see or hear Tai and Sora's return, in fact it was only Matt that had seen the two return holding hands. He didn't say anything to the two, but he so desperately wanted to. He wanted to run over to Sora and make certain that things were ok. From afar, she seemed calm enough holding Taichi's hand.

'Stop Yamato, don't do this to yourself. Nothings going on, your not jealous you're her friend' Matt thought but to no avail. He simply watched them lie down near Izzy, Ken and the rest of the group. Matt didn't sleep that night, he stood watch but couldn't help himself but to watch the rise and fall of Sora's chest wishing that he could be with her. Yet for all he knew, he was too late. . .

How can the same sunrise be so different to so many? To one it's hope of a new day, another the continuation of a journey, and to just a few- the loss of something dear.

Bad premonitions circled Sora as she awoke to a new day. She sat up from the now moist ground fresh with dew and looked down at her friend whom she cared for. His dirt brown hair a mess if not from style then from sleeping on it the wrong way.

She looked over to see Kari snuggled in close to Tk against a tree, they were almost angelic in their slumber so honest and pure.

And to her dismay, Sora glanced over and found another friend of hers at the edge of the clearing sitting with his knees pulled all the way up to his chest. Matt was surely still awake from last night and it showed. His eye's seemed red and very dry, and he had an expression on his face that was beyond vacant.

Sora standing up seemed to snap Matt back to reality. He looked up and over at her and smiled a tired almost sad reluctant smile. "H-" Matt stopped and cleared his throat and stood "how'd you sleep?"

"I did alright, how bout you? Did you sleep at all?" Sora asked concerned putting a hand on his shoulder. Matt did his best to shrug it off with out being rude "I did alright. How'd things go last night?"

Matt turned to the right and started to stretch his cold form and Sora bit her lip in annoyance. It would be impossible for two boys to be angry and jealous over her in less then twenty-four hours."I told him," Sora said. "Well good, that was the plan right? So everything should work out then" Matt said still not facing Sora. "Matt stop, it isn't like you to act like this. What's going?" Sora asked walking infront of Matt to see his face.

When Sora saw Matt's face full of complete and utter sadness and was shocked. "Matt?" Sora asked gently placing her hand softly on his cold cheek trying to comfort and warm him. "Sora, I have something to tell you. I never said it before because I was afraid of what it might mean. That night that I found you locked out of your apartment, I wasn't just around your part of town. I came there for you."

Sora looked up at Matt confused of what he was getting at, she took her hand off of his face and looked over again at Tk and Kari still asleep.

"I came there because I wanted to talk to you, I wanted to tell you what had been eating away at me. What kept me from sleep and was on my mind constantly. I wanted to tell that . . . that . . ." Matt stopped for a minute but regained composure and continued. "I think I love you" he said placing two fingers on her chin and forcing her face to meet his.

For a long moment Sora was all but helpless to stare into his ocean blue eyes, the kind of ocean that you could see the bottom of like in a tropical place. Her lip wavered for a moment and then she opened her mouth and spoke slowly. "I . . . I'm not sure . . . I" she searched desperately for words and her feelings. "Only say exactly what you mean, what feels right in your heart" Matt said hopeful to hear words that held good news.

"This whole time I've been totally preoccupied with life, the digital world, and taking care of my mom to think about what I wanted. And I think right now more than anything else, I want to be held by you," Sora said before leaning in closer letting herself be embraced in Matt's long arms. Matt let his face come to hers and they met lips to kiss.

"Figures, finally get a good nights sleep and we have to get woke up by these two pawn'in at each other" Tk said and Kari giggled. Embarrassed the couple pulled away from each other Matt glaring at his younger brother as he helped Kari up and Sora blushed.

"Is it morning already?" Davis asked aloud to no one in particular. Ken sat up yawning not far off "it certainly looks like it." "Good morning every one" Izzy announced getting a good attitude in before the day really started. "Morning" Cody replied matter-of-factly. Yolei was awake but didn't speak.

Suddenly with out warning, Tai shot up and punched Matt in the face. Unprepared for the blow Matt nearly flew backwards landing hard on his back and smacking his head against the ground. Tai jumped on top of him punching him in the face once again and grabbing him by the shirt collar and slamming his whole body into the ground.

A short moment later Tk, Davis, and Ken pulled Tai off Matt while he was still kicking him. Sora bent down on one knee to attend to Matt. "What the hell's gotten into Tai?" Davis yelled into his face trying to bring him back around. A moment later, Tai's pupils seemed to fix on Davis' face and the anger drained from Tai's visage.

"What's wrong with you?" Ken said in a quiet hushed voice. Tai furrowed his brow in confusion and shook his head no. His breathing became labored and the boys that held him back let go of him. Tai looked around horrified at each face.

Davis, Ken, and Izzy just seemed angry. Tk was horrified by Tai's countenance. Yolei and Cody didn't seem to have any reaction. Kari had her hands clenched over her mouth in a state of shock. Matt was in pain. None of the Digimon were able to understand what had happened. And worst of all was Sora, she refused to look at Tai at all.

Tai couldn't take the scene any longer, he ran retreated into the woods once again unsure of how to fix everything. He ended up by a small pond that had a tall rock range next to it. "What am I doing? How could I do that?" Tai asked his reflection in the water. "Well because you couldn't stand to see them together. Especially with that nothing Ishida, he's always had it way too easy" his reflection told him.

"Still that's no excuse for going berserk!" Tai told his reflection using his hands to make large signals. "He's only getting what he deserves" Tai's reflection said grabbing the edge of pond and pulling it's self up. Tai looked over at his wet twin dripping in front of him.

"Wait, who are you?" Tai said becoming aware that he was talking to himself. "Call me your biggest fan" Tai's doppelganger said. Tai got ready for another rumble confused on what was really going on. Tai's twin laughed some and then put up a hand as if to apologize "fine, then call me 'pal'."

Pal suddenly went from looking like Tai's exact twin to seemingly morph into a taller, more muscular man in a white suite with matching white tie. His hair was slicked back with gel, his eyes were a deep auburn brown with dark circles under them, and his teeth were crooked but mostly white.

"Well then what do you want 'pal'?" Tai asked confused. Pal smiled showing his top row of teeth "I want to help. I must confess, I've been watching your group for quite a while. And their pathetic really aren't they? You're the only one worth salvaging" Pal said seeming to want to make every day conversation.

"Hey asshole, those are my friends. Not to mention my little sister" Tai spat angrily. Well from the way you've been treated lately it really doesn't seem like they consider you friend or family" Pal said lowering his head and narrowing his eyes to seemingly pierce Tai's own.

Almost instantaneously Tai found himself inside of his apartment with noises coming from Kari's room. Tai walked to the door and put his fist up about to knock, but instead he grabbed the doorknob instead. He found Tk and Kari making out rather ferociously. Tk was already in boxers kissing Kari deeply with his hand slid up Kari's dress. "Quiet Kari, your brothers going to hear" Tk said pulling out of the kiss but kept his hand where it was.

Tai tried to speak, but no sound came out. He tried to move but was helpless but to watch what was happening like a movie.

"Screw him, let him hear. Grab a condom from the bottom drawer" Kari mumbled as she started to slide out of her dress.

Inside of Tai's head he was screaming harder than he ever imagined. Just before the images could progress too much further he found himself in a new place, a familiar place. "No" he pleaded, but he could do nothing but to continue to watch.

He saw Sora lying in a heap on the floor broken and bloodied and Matt sitting on a near by couch smoking a cigarette holding a bloody baseball bat. Tai cried in his mind screaming for it to stop. He watched as Sora crawled into her room and Tai followed her. He could nothing but watch as Sora pulled back the edge of her glove to reveal million of lines that were healed scars.

Tai pleaded so hard begging for Sora to stop what she was doing, but he pleaded in vain. He could do nothing but watch as she pulled out a sharp four inch pocket knife and placing it against each wrist to rip the flesh cutting the major arteries. Tai did his best to hold her dying form while crying and wishing her back to life.

Tai saw hundreds of horrible images, Izzy burnt alive, Ken hung, Davis shot on the streets, Yolei being raped over and over. Every last horrible image burned into his mind.

Suddenly Tai was back in the forest on the floor holding himself and sobbing uncontrollably "wha . . . What was that?" Pal smiled once again "Think of me as the ghost of Christmas past, present, and future. Those are the things that have, are, and will happen unless something is done." Plea- please tell me how to stop this, how to help" Tai said in-between sobs.

"Oh, I don't know if I can be trusted. Remember how you treated me at first?" Pal asked sinisterly. "I'm sorry, I'm . . . I . . . so . . . Sorry." "Yes you are sorry now aren't you? And you want to save them right?" pal asked and Tai immediately shook his head yes. "Then you need to take this knife and stop them from destroying themselves. Take this blade" Pal said handing him the same small knife from the nightmare. "Deliver them unto salvation before they damn themselves" Pal said seeming sympathetic to Tai's plight.

Tai vigorously shook his head yes and took the knife from Pal and put it into his sock. "Good boy, now off with you. You've got souls to save" Pal said patting his head and pointed toward the rock range that led up to a large hill. Tai stood up and started to climb the rocks to reach the top of the hill.

After Tai was out of site, pal simply started to laugh. His laughter grew loud and cackling and could be heard from many yards away.


	10. I'm not a soldier among the skyscrapers

This was certainly an interesting chapter to write . . . Once again this chapter is pretty violent, so don't say I didn't warn you. Also the reviews are greatly appreciated, they're the only reason I continue so thank you to those who've reviewed. Good luck.

-

Back into the forest, the rest of the group was searching the woods for Tai and calling out. "How far could her really have gotten?" Patamon asked as Tk was running ahead looking. Davis was right behind him with Veemon on his trail. "Wait, hey Te-kah did you hear that?" Davis offered in front of him.

"Real clever by the way running those letters together" Tk called behind him. "Yeah well . . . But did you hear that? It sounded like laughter" Davis said seriously. Tk stopped his jog and looked at Davis "Where'd it come from?" "This way" Davis said running in a new direction weaving through trees.

"Hey wait up!" Sora said at the back of the group helping Matt along with Gabumon and Byomon bringing up the rear. "You doing ok?" Sora asked for the umpteenth time. "Yeah, I'm find lets go" Matt said rushing along to catch up.

Soon Davis and Tk came to a small pond with a rock structure next to it. "Hey check out the grass around here" Tk pointed to a few patches of grass that had been kicked up. "He had to have been here" Davis said looking over at the pond. For some reason it seemed to send shivers down his spine.

Before any more progress was made Ken emerged from the woods along with Izzy and Tentamon. "What's the going the verdict?" Ken asked looking around. "He's been here," Veemon said. After another moment Yolei, Cody, Kari, Gatomon, Sora, Matt, Byomon, and Gabumon came into the area. And as if on cue, a scream that was unmistakably Tai's came from beyond the hill of the rocks.

"Lets go" Davis said starting after the sound with the group right behind him ready for anything. Yet, there was nothing that could prepare them for what was to come.

-

"Joe what was that?" Mimi asked looking around. "That almost sounded like Tai" Joe said confused "come one." Joe grabbed Mimi's hand and pulled her up rocky hill.

When they reached the top they found that it over looked a city, a city that was all too similar to Tokyo. In fact the hill it's self was rock slope on all sides except for the side that faced the city, that side was actually concrete building that seemed to be at least three stories tall.

"Jeese, this place is random" Joe commented. With a noise behind them, they both turned quickly to see Tai standing and panting wildly with his hands in his pockets. "Oh my God Tai! I'm I glad to see you. Mimi and I got sucked into here and we can't seem to find our way out. Man it's been a while hasn't it?" Joe said coming closer and pulling Tai into an embrace.

There was a sickening tearing sound and Joe backed away to find that Tai had stabbed him in the gut. Tai pulled out the knife and turned his head to the side with gritted teeth. "I'm so sorry Joe" Tai said sounding psychotic. Joe looked down at his wound in disbelief putting his hand over it and grimacing. He pulled his hand away to find it covered in blood.

Joe stumbled back a few steps before falling into a sitting position. "No! Tai how could you!" Mimi screamed before charging Tai. She started to hit his chest over and over again with as much force as she could muster. Tai pushed her away and she fell to the ground.

"It's for your own good" Tai said crying and shaking uncontrollably. Tai came kneeled down in front of Joe and grabbed his neck and pulled him closer. "I love you Joe" Tai whispered putting the knife to his throat. The knife was sharp enough to immediately draw some blood with the it just pressed against his neck next to his major artery.

And with a dull thud Tai crumbled to the ground with Mimi standing above his for with the bloody rock that she had hit him with. "Joe! Speak to me, Joe!" Mimi said spastically while she knelt next to him examining him. Joe didn't know where he was any more, he was going into shock.

Suddenly Mimi was backhanded and she fell to the ground. "Well aren't we the naughty child?" Pal asked overlooking the scene. "My boy Tai has work to do and I'd ask you not to impede him."

Just then the group made it to the top of the hill to see Tai standing all the way to his feet holding a blood soaked knife while both Mimi and Joe lay on the ground motionless. "What the hell is going on here?" Ken asked horrified. Tai looked over at them with an animalistic rage and broken heart.

"Tai what have you done?" Tk asked disturbed by the scene in front of him. "I'm sorry Tk, everyone . . . But the things I've seen, the things he shows you. I can never go back to the way things were" Tai said short of breath on the verge of sobbing.

"Everything will be ok, just put the knife down" Tk said walking toward him with his hands held up to show he didn't mean harm. Just as Tk got close enough Tai swung upward wildly cutting Tk deeply across his chest from his ribs to his belly button. Tk stumbled backward and Davis caught him and led him into a sitting position on the ground.

"I've had enough of this" Davis said while both he and Ken lunged at Tai to disarm him. Tai swung wild again and stabbed Ken in the chest just below the throat. Davis managed to tackle Tai to the ground while Ken pulled the knife out, his chest squirting blood on the ground

Davis started to punching Tai as hard as he could doing his best to knock him out before he could manage anything else when an unseen force pushed him off. "Tisk tisk, Tai I tried to tell you. I tried to help you" pal said appearing from thin air.

The scene was a horror show. Cody did his best to talk to Joe keep him conscience while Izzy tried to stop the bleeding. Kari tended to Tk trying to keep him calm and aware of his surroundings. Yolei cried harder and harder while she held Ken.

Now Matt and Sora were calling their Digimon to attack this new force. "Gabumon take care of this asshole" Matt called after Sora had already sent Byomon. Pal extended his arm his palm flat and in a karate like position; glyphs that were unseen lit up on his wrist and a black energy seemed to project from his hand and hit the Digimon full force.

Both fell to the ground in pain while strange black glyphs lit up like code all over their bodies. "No!" Sora yelled about to run forward but was stopped by Matt.

"Don't you get it? I'm the bad guy around here. The names Pal," he said with smile. With out a word Matt charged Pal and uppercut him managing to make his head fly back in whiplash but not moving his body in the slightest. "Well you're a looker aren't you?" Pal said shooting his hand up and putting two extended fingers on Matt's temple surging hellish nightmares into the mind.

Matt screamed and pulled away falling to his knees. By now Patamon, Veemon, Gatomon, and Tentamon came into play using their various attacks to hurt Pal. Pal seemed injured yet didn't care in the slightest. "I'm the best villain you'll ever meet" he said disappearing in a gust of wind. It was now that both Sora and Matt realized that Gobumon and Byomon were disintegrating into information.

"Please don't go" Sora asked reaching for her partner grasping nothing but air. "I love you" Matt said to his partner just before he had vanished. Matt pounded his fist against the ground in desperation and Sora started to cry. Before any could get a handle on the situation the ground started to shake. "Everybody hold onto something" Izzy called out just before the ground below them shook as it sank. The building inside the hill was collapsing.

Within a few moments they had reached street level in the rubble. "How's every one doing? Davis asked looking around at every one. "Ken's not doing well" Yolei whispered. "Joe's down but not out" Izzy commented. "It looks like Tai and Mimi are just knocked out" Tk said tiredly.

Davis walked over to Tk "are you ok?" he asked seriously looking at the knife wound. At first Tk was taken aback by Davis' genuine concern but shrugged it off. "I'll be ok."

In the distance the sound of running could be heard, and in the distance a beast was running toward them. The beast had a horse like body that was just as tall but three times as thick with six legs and it's skeleton on the outside with a sick red skin color sticky with blood. Where the head would be on a normal horse was the body of what looked to be a thick human torso with seven heads. Each head had seven horns and each horn had a golden crown that was blood spattered with a blasphemous name printed around its base.

"What the hell is it?" Matt asked sickened once again by a terrible image. "Everybody move!" Davis yelled running toward the cover of the closest building. Most of the group moved with the help of some of the others that were more mobile-except for Yolei who wasn't even paying attention and still huddled over Ken.

"Yolei! Come on!" Cody yelled about to run back to here, but Izzy held him back when he saw the beast came upon her.

Just before the beast was upon her, he pulled out a long staff that had a sharp blade on the end of it with a black feather. And as he arrived she was pierced in the heart for the second time today. The creature pulled the blade from her Yolei crinkled to the ground lifeless next to Ken.

"Son of a bitch!" Davis yelled pointing his Digivice toward Veemon, yet nothing happened. "What's going on?" Davis yelled. After a moment, the others who still had a digimon realized that they too could not get their digimon to digivolve. "What's going on?" Kari asked terrified. "Doesn't matter, Veemon go!" Davis yelled. All of the other digimon were right behind him.

They all attacked, but none seemed to be able to even scratch him. "Enough" the creature uttered from each of it's seven throats in a deep horrific unified voice. It threw it's spear in an accurate arc pinning Tentamon into a near by building. "No" Izzy muttered in vain as he watched his digimon dissolve into information and float away.

After the spear was thrown Veemon managed to get a good scratch in on the creatures back while Patamon managed to hit the creature in one of its many eyes. Enraged the creature grabbed out and caught Patamon and took him in both hands and started to squeeze. The small digimon screamed in pain and Tk lunged out with the knife that Tai had earlier and plunged in the knife deep in the beast's abdomen and twisted it. The creature screamed and threw the digimon in one swing and hit Tk hard enough to send him flying threw the air.

Gatomon and Veemon continued to fight the creature as it was trying to pull out the knife. Tk landed next to Patamon who was dissolving into the air. "Patamon, no . . ." Tk said so desperately sad and frustrated. "It's ok . . . just save the others . . ." Patamon said smiling all the way until he had dissipated.

With out a word Tk ran over to the building and pulled the spear out of the wall. While the creature was distracted by Gatomon and Veemon and sprinted up and run the spear through the creatures side all the way through to the other side. The beast let out seven hideous roars and kicked Tk away from it.

The creature pulled the spear out and was now bleeding heavily from two wounds. He was starting to loose energy so he charged the group. Every moved as fast as they could but the creature managed to trample the smallest member of the group: Cody.

The beast was loosing strength and the team had lost two of its members with two mortally wounded and several other injuries. Just before the creature made another pass at where most of the group was, Gatomon had managed to claw her way up it's form and cut off one of it's heads. The monstrosity was bleeding heavily from it's third wound and stopped rushing the team. Gatomon worked hard not to get bitten by any of the heads as she systematically cut them off with the help of Veemon.

With the megalodon headless, the body stumbled around blindly before stopping and slowly falling over onto its side motionless. The monster didn't dissolve like the other digimon did, it simply melted into the ground slowly and became dust.

With the unnamed monstrosity gone, Pal reappeared clearly unpleased. "Ok, play times over it's all business." With a snap of his finger, a strange vehicle came from the sky that seemed to be what Byomon was describing the night before. Except now, the vehicle seemed to have some sort of trailer with no windows and only one door.

Pal went over and grabbed Tai and Joe in both hands while the other Digidestined started to hit him in protest. Pal was unaffected and managed to send out a small energy wave to knock every one to the ground. Pal threw the two into the trailer and went back and grabbed Sora and Matt.

At this time Izzy had pulled Ken's body over to another building and opened the door and dragged the boy inside. At this time only Pal grabbed Kari and went for Tk but was hit by both Veemon and Gatomon. So Veemon managed to push Tk away into a nearby alley while Gatomon did her best to get Pal to release Kari. Pal ended up swatting the cat to the ground and throwing Kari into the trailer and locking it shut.

Pal snapped his fingers and jumped on his vehicle as it lifted off into the air. Gatomon managed to sink her claws into the vehicle and was carried away with it. Davis went to Veemon and started to say something and walked away with him to go inspect something, to see where Veemon had pushed Tk to. Yet they couldn't find him.

At this time Tk was trudging away from the scene in the direction that the craft had flown to. "One foot in front of the other" Tk said aloud to himself. "And one foot back to count it."

-

Well there you go- What did you think? Yeah, kinda rough I'd agree but you'll see what happens next. Or should I just summarize the rest of the story because I know what I'm going to have happen . . . No I wouldn't do that, but it's tempting. Tell me what you thought, input is greatly appreciated. Thanks as always!

PS: I'd also like to thank Nemesis57 for being the original inspiration to continue work on this. It's been fun writing so thanks for reading.


	11. External & Beating More Slowly This Time

Life has an uncanny ability to be a let down. No details but I apologize for never finishing this. I think I will within the next month or so because it's been far too long since I've finished an actually story. Thanks for reading.

-

"Wow" Roger said unsure of what to say. What would one say to a story such as that? "I'm sorry how things turned out." "Well it already happened . . . I just have to get going" Tk said finished with his meal and his story.

"This Pal character sounds familiar" Roger said thinking. Tk looked at the Australian questioningly only to have him respond with "it's probably nothing."

"Well Tk, I won't keep you any longer. I wish you good luck, and I have a feeling that we'll meet in the future" Roger said standing up with Tk and shaking his hand. "Thanks for everything" Tk said letting go of Rogers hand and then leaving.

He didn't know what it was, but that meal seemed to rejuvenate him in no way that he had ever felt. It was as if he had had a full nights sleep and a buffet of food. "Roger knows his way around the kitchen," Tk said looking over at the sunrise. He began another journey to the north.

There was a forest about a quarter mile away from Rogers's house and just before the tree line was a small sign that read "The Whispering Forest". Tk frowned at the name wondering the meaning but didn't think much of it before entering.

After some hours of walking in the woods Tk realized how truly lonely he was right now. He had no companion what so ever. So Tk's mind did nothing but wonder. He thought of what happened to Patamon's information, his soul if he did indeed have one. If a program was created by a soul then didn't that entitle the program to a piece of its creator?

And Kari . . . to say that Tk was worried about Kari was an understatement. His mind always found its way to Kari, but then again it did that even before she was kidnapped. They had been friends for so long yet a different part of Tk's mind wanted something more than just friendship. He could only pray that Kari felt the same way because if Tk were to try for something deeper and Kari didn't, then their friendship could be ruined.

Tk took a deep breath and let it out, he could think about his crush later. What he should concentrate on is remembering what little of the map that Izzy had on his computer. After this stretch of woods he should come to the . . . Octopus Marshes? 'Crap what was it?' Tk asked himself. "Octave, Oscar, or was it uh, Oxygen?" Tk asked aloud while walking.

"Octavious Marshes" a familiar voice called out among the trees. Tk smiled thankfully no longer alone. Gatomon hoped down from a nearby branch and bounded over to Tk. Yet Gatomon didn't expect to be met with a hug. "I'm so glad that you made it" Tk said letting the small creature down from the embrace.

Gatomon simply nodded knowingly, they both had lost many friends a few days prior. Yet Gatomon had not expected Tk to be so happy in his greeting for they had only exchanged a few words to each other before.

"What happened to you after the city?" Tk asked continuing walking with Gatomon beside him. "I managed to hold on long enough to overhear that Pal character talking to some one. They other guy had a very dark voice and spoke of some sort of machine. When I got closer to hear, he noticed me and knocked me off into these trees. I had to regain my strength before going after Kari" Gatomon said sighing slightly.

Tk was doing his best to try and recall all that was said to him about what was going on in this mess but to no avail. His memory alluded him to a point of lost patience.

After a few more hours of silence dusk had settled over the land and forest grew quiet with the approaching night. "We should probably stop here till morning" Tk said stopping in his place. "Fine with me" Gatomon said jumping into a near by tree and heading toward the top branches. Tk went and laid down close to the same tree on his side and curled up to gather any heat he could. Sleep came slowly, but surely.

When Tk awoke the next morning he found Gatomon had curled up in the center of Tk's crescent bent body on the ground. He smiled, stood up, and stretched getting all of the ache out of his bones as he could. It was going to be a long day of walking ahead.

-

Mimi found herself in a king size bed in a small room with no windows or doors. The last thing she could remember was hitting Tai over the head with a rock. But what happened to Joe? Or the others for that matter?

Mimi was too weak to follow any of those thoughts down any real corridor in her mind. A moment or two passed, a few tired blinks and she slept once more.

Somewhere from above her there was light conversation being had, and somewhere below her there were screams to be heard.


	12. The Blood Machine

_Hey . . . Can you hear me? Wake up! _Kari stirred but couldn't open her eyes no matter how much she struggled. _Save your strength, even if you could see, you'd wish you couldn't. _After much effort Kari peaked open her eyes to find she was surrounded by mostly darkness except for many glowing chambers that burned a dull blue. There were things inside the chambers, but her eyes couldn't adjust and her vision was blurred. And somewhere nearby, she could hear some kind of beeps like some one was playing a game of some sort.

_I hate that all these machines still work, but I still have hope in_hope. 'I know that voice' Kari thought to herself while turning her head as quickly as she could to see if she could locate the speaker. _Of course you know me! But you're not going to find me; I'm only in your head._

Kari moaned, her body ached all over and it hurt to breathe too deeply, the last thing she needed was to be going crazy. _You should get some sleep; you'll probably be here a long time anyway._ Before Kari could even think in response she drifted off into sleep while the body in the tube next to hers was kept alive by a machine that kept in tempo of the heartbeat.

-

"We're almost out of the forest" Gatomon stated walking beside Tk. "Oh thank God, if there's one thing that this world has too much of, it's trees" Tk said grateful for the change of scenery.

Emerging from the woods the pair entered a large marsh area with a single path running threw it with fog thick enough you could see all but ten feet in front of you. "I guess we take the path," Tk said smirking slightly. "Bad things slumber in these swamps, we should be careful to stay on the path," Gatomon said leading the way.

-

After long hours of walking in silence Davis and Veemon found themselves on the edge of cliff that ran as far as the eye could see in either direction. "Well, shit . . . Now what?" Davis asked sitting in front of the cliff's edge.

"We should keep heading north, that's where that ship went that took everyone" Veemon said trying not to sound too tired. "We don't even know that it kept going that way, this is getting hopeless" Davis said exasperated. "Hey Davis, what's that in the forest all the way over there?" Veemon asked point far off into the forest.

"It's a . . . um" Davis squinted his eyes and cocked his head slightly "A pyramid?" Davis said wondering what it could be doing out there. "Well, why don't we check it out on our way north?" Veemon suggested. Davis Shrugged and started his track down the cliff with Veemon close behind him.

It had been a long span of time when the two finally reached the bottom looking toward the forest several yards ahead of them.

-

Kari awoke once more to find herself being placed on large brushed metal table with a figure strapping her down with leather harnesses. Above her was large plate with five bright circles of light shining directly into her face. "What… what's going on?" Kari attempted squinting at the figure and doing her best to simple wake up.

"My my, I didn't expect you to wake up for some time" a dark voice came from the shadow that finished strapping her down. "There will be no need for introductions. But your friends are dead, your loved ones are dead, and soon everything you know and hold dear will be as ghosts in the wind."

The lights dimmed and Kari did her best to focus on the figure in the room. She could just barely make out the body of the large man that stared at her with a devious smile. The man walked around to her head and grabbed her face forcing her to meet his face. Kari was horrified; the face was human like but larger and pale white. Where its eyes should be were gapping holes filled with darkness, flat space where a nose once was, and great maw of a mouth much like a shark.

Kari's eyes widened, she wanted to scream but could not find her voice. The creature smiled a terrible smile and forced her to look over at a large monitor against the wall. She saw her friends divided up into their own small screens. The ones who were living were being tortured by machines strapped to tables much the one Kari was on at that moment. The ones who were… not, they had tubes inserted in several different wounds that sucked out blood. Without warning the monitors burst with the sound of horrible screams.

"Do you hear?" the creature spoke the darkness as if it were kin. "The symphony, the beauty?" it howled in Kari's face with unnaturally sharp fangs biting close to her cheek. Kari finally found her voice and cried out in horror. The creature cackled madly and in a rasping voice yelled "through the switch." In the corner next to the monitors, Pal sat at a control panel and pulled a lever.

From above Kari, a large drill was buzzing with life as it lowered toward her torso. Kari looked away writhing to get away yelping slightly as the drill became closer and closer. The creature was not happy with this.

"No child, do not look away! Gaze in wonderment at the glorious blood machine, the Fatama Jasper." Kari looked out of the corner of her eye to see the drill close enough to her stomach she could feel a light breeze from the engine. Kari started screaming again.

-

"This place is kinda nasty" Tk commented as they made their way through the swamp. "The Octavious Marshes aren't really known for their beauty" Gatoman retorted continuing the path. Silence fell between them once more as they continued on in what seemed like a never ending journey.

Up ahead in the distance Tk noticed something, a dim light hovering above the path. "What is that?" Tk asked slowing his pace trying to make out the light. "It's the ghost of these marshes" Gatomon answered "legend tells of a spirit that haunts these grounds."

As they gained distance Tk found the light to be in the shape of a man. The man was wearing a long dark cloak with the hood drawn. His face was covered in shadow with a large nose and bushy black beared covering most of his features.

"Stop" he whispered loud enough to just be heard. "Who dares enter my marsh?" Tk gulped and stuttered. "Tk, the digidestined of hope." "Hope?" the ghost questioned incredulously "get out of my marsh."

"We have no intention of staying, we're just passing through" Gatomon said firmly. "Don't you speak to me you retched filth" the ghost spat. "Hold on, we don't want any trouble" Tk said trying to make sure that he didn't get into fights that he didn't know if he could fight. Had any one ever fought a ghost?

"It's because of the scum like that that I'm in such a position as I am now," the ghost said moving forward slightly. Tk didn't know what to do so he kept quiet hoping the ghost would elaborate.

"They were the ones that killed us, that ruined this paradise!" the ghost yelled moving even closer. "I don't understand" Tk said trying to buy time "what happened?"

"Oh you don't know? I love it, brought to save a world that you don't even know what it is!" the ghost cackled. "This is the digital world, a world opposite my own that formed from networks and the internet" Tk said, his curiosity peaked. "Not quite. This place was created by a select few hackers and programmers. Oh you were never told by Gennia?" The ghost smiled at the look on Tk's face.

"Yes, a few of us started work on this place hacking networks and connecting servers from all over the world. It was a paradise! So very grand, glorious really. But then the three founders created a program that created a monster. The birth of the first creature was fine enough, harmless really. Yet they didn't stop, they modified the machine to make different creatures to populate this digital terra. They made too many, made too fast, then the machine broke and created horrible monsters who killed us all. I had a back up of saved on a hidden server that short circuited and forced me into this form.

Now it's been ages and these monsters have procreated new beasts and all of the eld has past away into history. The only ones left are either corrupt or in hiding, I know Hannibal is now bent on destroying earth leaving nothing but this ex-paradise. And the Gennia or Roger, I don't even know what became of those fools."

Tk stared at the ghost for a moment speechless; this was not something he expected it to say. After a moments thought Tk found himself "assuming this is true, how do we stop Hannibal?"

The ghost smiled again "there is a machine that I helped create when I was alive called Pandora's Box. It is a self destruction mechanism for the digital world. Only now, Hannibal created a brother machine called the Fatama Jasper that is powered by the blood of the digidestined. Usurping the powers from you all, the villainous machine directs signals to the real world detonating any and all weapons connected to a computer and renders any electronic device useless. You must get to the top of Chaos Mountain and stop him." Taking this all in Tk sighed wondering if he should believe this odd being that he met only ten minutes ago.

"Why should I believe you?" Tk asked trying not to sound condescending. "Because my dear boy" the ghost continued "I am Octavious of the eld. I helped to create this wretched place."

"Well then thank you Octavious" Tk said nodding at him before continuing on. "Not so fast" Octavious called. "Have you not wondered why you have not encountered any of those creatures yet?" Octavious yelled pointing at Gatomon. Tk was taken aback and let his hand rest on the blades handle. "Even if my program was damaged in creating this ghost, I still destroy any of those monsters that I can" he yelled grabbing Gatomon with one hand and placing his other on her head. "Stop" Tk screamed unsheathing the blade and charging Octavious.

Octavious laughed as Gatomon cried out before bursting into a thousand bytes of information. Tk slashed widely upward ripping Octavious' ghost in two. Before the ghost could make a sound it burned into information leaving nothing behind.

Tk sat down cross legged cursing himself for letting Gatoman get killed. His eyes welled up but he refused to let himself cry. Tk sat for a moment longer before sheathing his blade, getting up, and walking toward the mountain.

-

"What is it?" Davis asked when they reached the foot of the pyramid. "I have no idea" Veemon said staring up at it in disbelief. The structure looked much like that of an Egyptian pyramid but had a large gold ornate entrance with several strange symbols etched into each and every stone that it was made of.

"I gotta check this out" Davis said running toward the entrance. "Davis, wait for me" Veemon yelled running after him.


End file.
